Jinchuriki of Spirits
by Ryu Kotei
Summary: Naruto couldn't believe his rotten luck until he meets ten powerful and ancient warriors that grant him their powers. Now armed with the elemental powers of the Legendary Warriors, Naruto will rock the Shinobi Nations with his new power. Pairings undecided for the moment. T for violence, language, and certain scenes.
1. Chapter 1

**Ryu Kotei here bringing you a new story about everyone's favorite knucklehead ninja! Let's see how the Shinobi Nations handle the Jinchuriki of Spirits!**

**On a final note, I do not own Naruto or Digimon.**

"Spirit Fusion!" normal speak

_"Spirit Fusion!"_ thought/mind speak

**"Spirit Fusion!"** demon/inner speak

Chapter 1

***Konohagakure; Training Ground #7***

Naruto was really mad.

He had been tied to the training post and even though he and his team had just passed, both his teammates and his sensei didn't even try to untie him!

"Some team," said Naruto as the sun had just set behind him, "at least I got some food…"

_*grumble*_

"…or hardly any," said Naruto as he hung his head in defeat after his stomach made its opinion heard.

_Why couldn't I just have a team, or even a sensei that actually cares about me?_ Naruto thought as he held his anger and sadness back at being betrayed right at the start.

That was when a bright light shone from the nearby woods and Naruto looked to see a brilliant glowing orb float towards him.

"What the…?" Naruto asked as the orb began to float around him playfully.

The fun ended when the orb went inside Naruto before the blond was enveloped in a light that was as bright as the orb was. The light vanished to reveal an unconscious Naruto on the ground and the post he was tied to and the rope used on him were gone.

Nearby, an ANBU member that was sent by the Third Hokage had just arrived when the light appeared. She carefully approached Naruto and picked him up.

"I better take you to the Hokage," said the ANBU as she held him motherly in her arms, "Naruto-kun."

***Mindscape***

Naruto slowly awoke to find himself somewhere dark and damp with water that was just a few inches deep.

"Great," said Naruto as he got to his feet, "guess someone decided to throw me in a sewer."

Naruto looked around to see that the room he was in was really huge and some sort of cage. The blond then felt a dangerous aura from the cage and took a few steps closer before a deep, dark voice spoke up.

**"****So my jailor decides to pay me a visit,"** said the voice from inside the cage to reveal a giant red fox with nine tails and a wicked grin on its face.

"K-K-Kyuubi!" said Naruto as he took a few steps back from the cage, "How did you get out!?"

The Kyuubi growled and said, **"As much as I wish that was true, I am unfortunately still sealed inside of you; we all are inside of your mind."**

Naruto blinked a few times before he sensed something was behind him and he tuned to see ten different figures: a dragon with a blonde mane and wings made of fire wearing red armor, a bipedal wolf wielding two large golden swords and wearing white armor that had blue stripes, a huge bug-like creature in an odd combination with a blue rhinoceros beetle and a stag beetle, a woman with long rainbow-colored hair wielding a rapier wearing what looked like a pale white swimsuit and long clawed boots and giant light green armor, a giant ram with snow white fur that hid multiple legs underneath, an odd creature with a mirror for a body wearing a green robe and pointed hat, a combination of an oni demon and a meteor, a giant horse made of wood and metal, a mermaid with long silver hair and blue and green scales holding a golden trident, and a large cat-like creature with a human face and golden wings wearing black armor.

"Whoa," said Naruto in awe as he fell on his rear, "who, or what, are you?"

"We are the Legendary Ancient Warriors," said the dragon with a booming voice, "great and powerful warriors with the powers of the Ten Elements. I am AncientGreymon, Dragon of Fire."

"I am AncientGarurumon," said the bipedal wolf, "Wolf of Light and Supreme Shining Beast. Many have fallen by my blades."

"I am AncientBeetlemon," said the bug-like creature, "and I am the Beetle of Thunder as the force of my wings alone can create the very thunder in the sky."

"I'm AncientKazemon," said the rainbow-haired woman, "Mystical Fairy of the Wind. I can tell that we will get along just fine."

"I am AncientMegatheriumon," said the giant ram, "and I am the Ram of Ice from the cold mountains."

"I am AncientWisetmon, young one," said the mirror creature in a wise tone, "and I am the Sage of Steel as even all things metal possesses their own mystical properties."

"Name's AncientVolcamon," said the giant ogre, "and some have called me the Ogre of Earth. I can't wait to rock with ya kid!"

"I am AncientTroiamon," said the giant wooden horse, "the Great Wooden Horse and I really like your village, especially the trees."

"I'm AncientMermaimon, Sugar," said the mermaid with a Southern drawl in her voice, "the Beautiful Mermaid of the Sea. I have to say, for a human you're kind of cute with those whisker marks of yours."

Naruto blushed as he never did have a girl, let alone anyone, give him a good comment on his looks.

"Thanks, I guess," said the blond before he faced the cat-like creature, "What about you?"

The armored cat looked at Naruto and stoically said, "I am AncientSphinxmon, Guardian of the Shadows. I sense some darkness within your heart, but the brilliance of your spirit has shown me that you have what it takes to use that darkness not as a weapon or means, but as an extension of your own power. But even so, you must prove to me that you are ready to wield the Power of Darkness without letting such power corrupt you."

Naruto respectfully bowed towards AncientSphinxmon as he felt that he should show some respect to it as well as the others before him.

"No need to be nervous," said AncientKazemon in a playful voice of a young girl, "especially around us."

AncientMermaimon delicately wrapped an arm around Naruto's shoulders and said, "Of course, Sugar, we're here to help you as Kami had seen your plight and I just have to say that the people here are just awful for treating you like that over the years."

AncientWisetmon then pointed to the cage and said, "We have even altered the seal that allows you to hold the fox inside to where ONLY you or your death will allow the Kyuubi its freedom."

Naruto looked and saw not only a paper seal on the cage's doors, but a collar with tags that had kanji for 'Fire', 'Earth', 'Thunder', 'Wind', 'Water', 'Ice', 'Steel', 'Wood', 'Light', and 'Darkness' around the Kyuubi's neck.

"We will also lend you our power," said AncientGreymon as Naruto turned to face the Legendary Warriors, "But we shall set some limitations to how much power you use in order to prevent any mishaps."

Naruto didn't like the sound of being limited, he did understand that everything has limits and he personally would hate to see the more disastrous mishaps; even though he might push those limits, Naruto wasn't suicidal with his training.

"The first limit we're going to place is that you can only use ONE of our powers," said AncientGarurumon, "but even should you use your Shadow Clones, you are only allowed to use one of our powers."

_Ten different powers and I can only use one at a time,_ Naruto thought with a small scowl on his face.

"Do not worry," said AncientWisetmon, "once you have a better understanding and better control of our power, we will teach you how to access more power. For now, just focus on training with one at a time."

"The second limit," said AncientMegatheriumon with an elderly voice, "you can only use that power for so long before you have to rest, so use this gift wisely as this will affect all forms of our power."

Naruto pondered what the ram had said and asked, "Once I reached that time limit, how long would I have to wait?"

AncientMegatheriumon chuckled and said, "That is a good question. Once you reach that limit, that actually depends on how well your chakra control is as our power will drain your chakra at a rapid rate and seeing how terrible your control is, you can use our power for a short time before you have to rest before calling forth our power again. That is only due to abysmal control, but once you gain a proper amount of control, you can use our even longer with shorter rests."

Naruto cringed at the time limit and knew that he desperately needed help in that area.

"The third and final limitation," said AncientSphinxmon as he moved his tail around, "our power is only an extension of your own as you become stronger, faster, and sharper. In order for that extension to become stronger, you must also better your own abilities and improve yourself. Our powers are but mere swords that are only as strong and powerful as its wielder."

_Now that makes perfect sense,_ Naruto thought as he was already ready to better himself at a moment's notice. What good is a new power if you can't use it right?

"Now is the time we grant you our power," said AncientGreymon as the other Legendary Warriors stood next to him, "we shall only grant you the power of two elements at the moment and from what we have found, you will like this."

AncientKazemon and AncientMermaimon stood before Naruto with two small statues in their hands; AncientKazemon's two statues were a small fairy praying and a harpy on her knees with her wings spread out while AncientMermaimon's two statues were a small blue fish and a squid.

"We present to you our spirit forms," said AncientKazemon as she and AncientMermaimon handed the statues to Naruto, "You get the Power of Wind as it is your natural affinity along with the Power of Water as you do share a bit of a water affinity from your family."

Naruto looked at the four statues and asked, "Why are there four spirits for two elements?"

AncientTroiamon looked at the boy and said, "That is because there are two forms for each element: a Human Spirit Form and a Beast Spirit Form. Even though the two on them are of the same element, their power is quite different with the Beast Spirit Form being more difficult to control as they possess almost half of the power any of the Bijus would possess; the only drawback is that the Beast Spirits have a tendency to be more on a…primal level, causing those who have first used them to go wild at the start."

The Kyuubi growled a bit before it said, **"As much as I wish to assert my own power, they are right kit. Just by looking at the two Beast Forms of Wind and Water, I can see their great power and any fool who were not ready for such primal power would easily be controlled, becoming the beast itself."**

Two of the statues, the fairy and the fish looking ones, then changed into their true forms. The fairy statue was now a young girl with long violet hair and clear butterfly wings wearing a combination of underwear and belts along with long boots and a metal visor that covered her eyes. The fish-like statue became a small girl with sea foam green skin wearing a blue one piece swimsuit and a hat with fins sticking out on the sides.

"They're really pretty," said Naruto as the two girls blushed.

"These two are the Human Spirit Forms for our elements," said AncientMermaimon as she gently nudged the two girls towards Naruto, "the fairy is Kazemon, the Human Spirit of Wind, and this little cutie is Ranamon, the Human Spirit of Water. You will be taking their forms when you use their powers."

"WHAT!?" said Naruto with shock on his face, "Are you saying that I'm going to change into girls when I use their powers!?"

AncientSphinxmon walked next to Kazemon and Ranamon and said, "Of course, but there are no lasting affects; you will still remain as your original sex, but only your mind will remain unchanged as your physical body will change to accommodate all of the Spirit Forms when you use our power."

AncientKazemon appeared next to Naruto and said, "Besides, it shouldn't be any different than your Sexy Jutsu and your Harem Jutsu."

Naruto sighed in defeat as he had a gut feeling that there was no way of convincing the two of allowing him to place a henge over them. Some of the other spirits were chuckling at Naruto's small little plight before AncientGreymon spoke up.

"We have kept you here long enough," it said lowering its head to Naruto's level, "you are needed to explain to your Hokage about your power."

Naruto vanished as the others began to talk amongst themselves.

"I believe we made the right choice with agreeing with Kami-sama to aid the young boy," said AncientWisetmon with the others either nodding or smiling in agreement.

"Of course," said AncientSphinxmon with stoic concern, "that boy has so much potential that one must have an even worse God complex than even _that_ dreadful fiend."

The other spirits nodded as a few of them were slightly angered at how the young boy's life was.

"Even a Devimon wouldn't do such things to a child." AncientMermaimon said with a protective and motherly tone.

"Indeed." AncientGreymon said with a nod, "We must be there for Naruto and aid him with his path. It will not be an easy ordeal, but we must be the family that Naruto deeply desires."

***Hokage's Office***

Naruto's eyes slowly opened to see that he on a table in the Hokage's Office with the Sandaime and a man with long dusty blonde hair next to the table.

"Thank goodness you're alright, Naruto," said the Sandaime with relief on his face, "When ANBU had brought you here I almost feared one of my many nightmares had come true."

Naruto slowly got up and got off the table and stretched before he saw the other man.

"You're Ino's father" asked Naruto as the man nodded, "Inoichi, right?"

"Yes," said the man, "and I would like to apologize for Ino's behavior towards you; she was always a part of the 'In' crowd. We can talk about trying to mend some bridges later as we wish to talk to you about your…new condition."

Naruto looked over the two with careful examination, trying to find the trust in them; the Sandaime did lose some respect from Naruto for not telling him about the Kyuubi and Inoichi was honestly just another face to the blonde.

Naruto soon relented and said, "I'm going to tell the two of you about my new power and guests, but only for the safety of the village."

Naruto explained about the Legendary Warriors, the powers that they will grant him and the limitations on them, and even the dangers of the Beast Spirits. The Sandaime was amazed at the possibilities that Naruto had and he was also concern about the Beast Spirits controlling his figurative grandson.

"Could you demonstrate to us one of your new powers?" asked Inoichi with curiosity.

_Crap! _Naruto thought as he just remembered something, _They never told me how to summon their power!_

The blond soon heard AncientKazemon speak to him through his mind as she said, "Just think of our power and treat it like a justu; you can call it "Spirit Fusion" if you like."

Naruto nodded and formed a hand seal and said, "Spirit Fusion: Wind!"

The Sandaime and Inoichi shielded their eyes from the blinding light and when the light had died down, a girl was standing in Naruto's place.

"N-N-Naruto?" asked the Sandaime with shock at the sight before him.

The girl chuckled nervously and said, "Yeah, Jiji, it's me; even though my body, and my voice as well, changed due to the spirit's power, I'm still me and there's no long lasting effects from using the power. Once I leave this form or let time limit run out I'll be back to my regular old self. This form goes by the name of Kazemon"

The Sandaime let out a sigh of relief before a thought came to him.

"Naruto, can you use jutsus in your Spirit Forms?" asked the Sandaime, "I would hate for something to happen to you in your…current form."

Kazemon looked herself and said, "I haven't thought about it, but I'm not sure at how well it could be done since the Spirit Forms burn up a lot of chakra really fast; I'm going to wait until I get used to using these powers before I try anything else."

The two men nodded as it was a smart idea for Naruto to learn more about his powers. Who knows how jutsus could be affected by Naruto's new power.

"I can't help but have a gut feeling that the council will learn of this," said the Sandaime as he held the brim of his hat, "and I think that I may have a good cover story for it."

Inoichi and Kazemon looked at the elderly man as he said, "We can say that this power was given to him by ancient deities from Naruto's father's side of the family and that only a few selected chosen of that family can wield such a power; it's not a bloodline, but it should hopefully work and we can even add how the deities have strengthened the seal holding the Kyuubi to prevent any form of mind manipulation from controlling you and the fox."

Kazemon nodded as it did sound like a believable cover-up and it was the truth hidden in plain sight.

"So," asked Kazemon with a serious tone in her voice, "who were my parents, Hokage-sama?"

The Sandaime sighed as he knew he had to win back some trust as he said, "As much as I would love to tell you, I cannot say just yet as such information could be dangerous to have out in the open like that as both of your parents have had many enemies who would love to have an opportunity to get their revenge by killing their child and legacy."

It wasn't what he wanted to hear, but Naruto did understand about how dangerous a name can be in the shinobi world.

"But," said the Sandaime as he looked at Kazemon, "your parents have always loved you and they even wished the best for you. I can imagine them rolling in their graves right now at how the village has treated you. I'm sorry that I couldn't have told you."

"It's alright," said Kazemon with a sad smile, "I understand why you had to do it. I think we should call it a night and I would like to try and get a good understanding of this power."

The two nodded as Kazemon soon opened a window and spread her butterfly wings.

"See ya later!" said Kazemon as she leapt out the window and flew through the night sky.

"That Naruto has a great destiny before him," said Inoichi as the two watch as Kazemon flew towards Naruto's apartment.

"Indeed," said the Sandaime, "Naruto has the greatest potential than I have seen in all of my years."

***Sakura's House***

Sakura was in her room as she was preparing to go to bed and hopefully to have wonderful dreams of her precious Sasuke-kun.

"I can't believe that I'm finally on a team with Sasuke-kun!" Sakura cheered as she skipped around in her pink nightgown, "Although I wish that cheating baka wasn't on the same team; he's just dead weight."

The rosette looked out her window briefly to see a young girl with violet hair and crystal butterfly wings flying through the sky.

"What the!?" said Sakura as she looked out her window to watch the butterfly girl perform a small loop-de-loop in the night sky, "A…a fairy?"

The fairy soon disappeared into the darkness of the night as Sakura couldn't believe her eyes; she has heard of summoning jutsus and she remembers reading about the Kyuubi Attack twelve years ago, but to see a creature of myth and legend just fly by her home…unbelievable.

_Was that really a fairy,_ Sakura thought to herself as she continued to look through the window, _a mischievous, magical creature of the forest?_

Sakura soon laid down in bed in wonder of what awaited her and her team.

"I wonder if Sasuke believes in legends?" Sakura asked herself before drifting off to sleep.

***Naruto's Apartment***

Naruto had arrived at his apartment that he personally owned since no one wanted to live near him and the land lord refused to house him so the deed was given to Naruto and was being kept by the Sandaime. Naruto entered his bathroom to still see that he was Kazemon and couldn't help but blush at how she looked.

_Kazemon's really pretty,_ Naruto thought as he removed the visor to see Kazemon's violet eyes, _She's even prettier than Sakura-chan._

A flash of light shone and cleared to reveal Naruto in his original form where Kazemon once stood.

"Guess time's up," said Naruto as he felt really winded, "They were right, that did take a lot of chakra."

After getting ready for bed, Naruto tiredly approached his raggedy bed and fell on the mattress.

"What a day," said Naruto as his body felt weird from using the Legendary Warriors' powers, "I wonder how things will be now that I have such power."

The blond drifted off to sleep, not knowing about what was planned for him in the future.

***Digital World; Eternal Void***

A lone figure lazily floats within a void of everlasting darkness ever since his defeat by the hands of those brats.

"How could I have lost to those pathetic worms all those years ago!" the figure roared out in anger, "My power is unmatched by ALL! Non could ever dream of having such power as I do!"

"Give it a rest," said devil-like figure as it was sitting with two fiendish looking figures playing cards, "We all got beaten by a bunch of brats. A few of us have even been beaten more than once, so don't cry about it."

"Don't cry about it?" the one figure asked in pure anger, "Don't CRY ABOUT IT!? You do NOT even understand the severity of MY loss! I was once the most feared Digimon in the Digital World and now I'm reduced to a mere child's tale and laughing stock!"

"So what?" one of the fiendish figures asked, "At least you didn't get beaten by the dreams of every child your champion had collected for you."

"Nor did you get holes ripped into your body," said a metal serpent with a cannon-like nose, "I died in horrible agony!"

The first figure decided to ignore the others and their silly little card game as he drifted into a different part of the void.

"Those fools should be trembling at my feet!" the figure said as he tightened his fists until he felt something, "What's this?"

Using a small amount of his power, the figure was able to create an oval shaped window in the void that revealed to him a different world. This world was obviously different than the Digital World, but there was something calling out to him. More correctly…someone.

Observing the new world, the figure smiled as something had caught his eye.

"So there is someone who shares my ideals," the figure said as a plan began to formulate in his mind, "and thankfully he was already pushed towards my direction."

The figure knew that this person would be perfect for him in order to show both worlds the power that he truly possessed. The power that makes him into a God.

**How will Naruto handle the power of the Legendary Warriors and what does this figure have planned? Don't forget to rate and review!**

**Ja ne.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Ryu Kotei here with another chapter and a small note. I know that it will seem like Naruto will be overpowered, but the limitations placed on our favorite blond will come into play as such...**

**1\. Naruto will only use one Spirit at a time, but will be allowed to switch between them at any time. He will also gain other spirits over the course of the story.**

**2\. In his Spirit Forms (Human or Beast), Naruto will burn off A LOT of chakra for the time limit. Even if he switches between spirits, that time limit will not reset. With proper chakra control, Naruto can extend this time limit a good amount. However, using jutsus will burn up more chakra which will make the time limit run shorter.**

**3\. As mentioned in the previous chapter, the Spirit Forms Naruto will use will only be as strong as he is, even with the Beast Spirits being stronger. That means if Naruto becomes as strong as Rock Lee, each of his Spirit Forms will all be THAT much stronger.**

**On a final note, I do not own Naruto or Digimon.**

"Spirit Fusion!" normal speech

_"Spirit Fusion!"_ thought/mind speak

**"Spirit Fusion!"** demon/Inner speech

Chapter 2

***Konohagakure; Training Ground #7***

The next morning found Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke waiting for their sensei to arrive. Naruto had decided to keep his powers a secret for the time being as it would just be a waste of breath considering his teammates.

"Hey Sakura-chan," said Naruto as he turned towards Sakura, "since it might still be a while till Kakashi-sensei gets here, you think that-"

"NO WAY BAKA!" said Sakura as she punched Naruto, sending the blond into one of the posts.

"Dammit," Naruto said as he sat against the post, "that what I wasn't going to ask, but you can forget about it now."

The blond felt his wounds healing as AncientMermaimon's voice entered his mind.

"That girl really needs to calm herself down before that attitude of hers do her in," said AncientMermaimon as she observed Sakura ogling Sasuke, "She could have at least let you finish what you were going to say before hitting you like that."

_Probably didn't help that I have constantly bugged her about going on a date with me,_ Naruto thought as he got to his feet and dusted himself off, _hopefully Kakashi-sensei can at least teach us something after whatever missions we might have._

Kakashi soon arrived as he said, "Sorry I'm late, but my shower wasn't working so I had to go to a friend's house and borrow theirs."

Sakura and Naruto gave their sensei an accusing look as the two of them said, "LIAR!"

The Legendary Warriors sighed at the man's attitude, knowing that asking Kakashi for anything would be like having to move a rock without actually touching the rock.

After doing a few missions, Team 7 had returned to their training ground when Naruto asked, "Hey Kakashi-sensei, you don't happen to know anything about chakra control, do ya?"

Sakura rolled her eyes and said, "Of course Kakashi-sensei would know about chakra control, idiot; he's a jonin so he probably have amazing chakra control to even allow him to use advanced jutsus that only the Hokage can perform."

Naruto hid his agitated look as he said, "I was only going to ask him if he could help me get a better handling on my chakra that way I'm not recklessly burning it up."

"Now now," said Kakashi as he face Naruto and Sakura, "there's no need to be at each other's throats, we're supposed to be a team. I will teach you chakra control later, but right now we should work on our skills."

Naruto mumbled to himself, only for Sakura to say, "What was that, baka?"

Naruto's mouth lightly twitched as he then said, "I said, some team we are! You guys left me tied to the post last night without even coming back for me!"

Sasuke scoffed as he said, "That just proves how much of a dobe you are for not knowing even the most simple of escape techniques."

Kakashi soon stepped in and said, "Calm down everyone, now Naruto, you need to show more appreciation towards your teammates if this is going to work out."

Naruto's fists tightened before he relented with a sigh as the rest of the day was just spent on sparring…with him mostly not learning anything from the instructor.

After the others left, Naruto sighed in frustration at not getting the training that he needed.

"Guess I'm on my own from here," said Naruto as he carefully looked around and saw that he was alone, "Time for my own training! Spirit Fusion: Wind!"

A bright flashed shone as Naruto was replaced with Kazemon as the fairy began to stretch.

"Let see what I can do," said Kazemon as she looked at the training posts as small pink swirls of wind gathered on her fingertips, "Hurricane Wave!"

She threw her hands towards the posts as streams of pink tornadoes struck the posts, sending small grass blades and dust away.

"Not bad," said Kazemon as she soon got on her hands and began spinning, "Tempest Twist!"

The momentum of Kazemon's spinning created a large tornado that soon engulfed all three posts as Kazemon jumped back onto her feet.

_She's fast,_ Naruto thought as he examined the evaporating tornado, _and her attacks could probably literally blow anyone away._

"Now let's see how I am with flying," said Kazemon as she quickly flew into the forest, not knowing about a pair of eyes watching her that soon followed her. Kazemon flew through the trees in a fast pace while dodging the many branches in her way.

"Spirit of the Wind really fits this character," said Kazemon as she continued to fly through the forest, "great speed and power over wind, she's very strong! Plus she is kind of cute."

The sound of rustling leaves took Kazemon's attention away briefly, causing her to not see the tree she smacked into. The pair of eyes watching her cringed at the impact before it saw Kazemon slide down to the ground.

"Ow…" said Kazemon as she soon fell onto her back, "Note to self: work on sensing the area around me."

The sound of rustling leaves alerted Kazemon of something out there, causing her to quickly jump to her feet.

"Who's there?" asked Kazemon as she got into a fighting stance. A figure soon arrived to show Sakura slowly appearing out of a nearby brush holding her hands up.

"Please don't hurt me," said Sakura as she tried to show that she was friendly, "I'm not here to cause you trouble. I was actually coming by to check on my friend, Naruto."

_Why do I not believe that?_ Naruto thought to himself as he observed the rosette.

"If you're talking about the boy with blonde hair and whisker marks, then he already had left when I arrived," said Kazemon as she carefully lower her guard, "I was just training here since no one was around."

"You fight," asked Sakura as she looked at the fairy Digimon's attire, "in your underwear?"

Kazemon looked at herself before she said, "Who says that you need bulky clothing when you can use your speed and control over wind to take out enemies."

Sakura did see the logic as she had witness the fairy's speed and agility as well as that giant tornado she had summoned.

"Oh I'm sorry." said Sakura as she bowed towards Kazemon, "I'm Sakura Haruno, what's your name?"

The fairy returned the bow and said, "I'm Kazemon, Spirit of the Wind. I take it that Naruto's your teammate?"

Sakura nodded and said, "Yeah, so how did you meet him?"

_Guess it's time to use that story,_ Naruto thought as he remembered what the Sandaime had said.

"Well," said Kazemon, "the other spirits and I were travelling to find our missing clan when I sensed someone from that clan."

Sakura blinked in confusion and asked, "You have a clan?"

Kazemon nodded and said, "Yes, but that's another story. As I was saying, I sensed someone from that clan to find your friend tied to one of those posts. I don't know what kind of joke it was, but I sensed that it was already old by the time I arrived. I approached him and cut him loose; I take it you just stood by and left him like that?"

Sakura's eyes widened as she said, "No, it wasn't like that, Kazemon! We thought that he could get out on his own."

Kazemon crossed her arms and said, "Sure it wasn't like that. The poor guy was starving so I gave him some food that I had packed because with how he ate, none of you even bothered to at least make sure he _had_ food."

"I offered to help him get home, but he said that he can get there by himself." said Kazemon as she blushed guiltily, "I wanted to make sure he got home safely so I followed him; I tell you, I lost him a couple of times before I saw that he made it home safely."

Sakura let out a sigh of relief as she was glad that Naruto did make it home alright.

"I then returned to the others and told them about Naruto," Kazemon continued, "and when they heard, our leader sent me and another spirit with me to keep an eye on him, so we watched him since then."

Sakura soon felt a sharp glare from Kazemon and knew that she was in a bit of trouble.

"We saw how you treated him when he tried asking you for something before he even finished," said Kazemon with a hint of anger in her voice, "Tell me something: Did you really know what he was going to ask?"

Sakura looked at Kazemon and said, "I knew he was going to asked me out on a date, but that baka is clearly too dumb to see that I'm not the least bit interested in that piece of dead weight; I only care about Sasuke-kun!"

_So that's how she feels about me,_ Naruto thought as he felt his heart break.

"So that's why you insult him and don't even bother helping him when clearly you know just enough to get by as a ninja," said Kazemon as she turned to leave, "I'm sorry, but I have to get back to Ranamon or the our leader will tear out my wings for abandoning him."

"Kazemon, wait!" said Sakura, but the fairy Digimon had quickly began flying through the forest so the rosette decided to follow. Kazemon continued to fly through the forest before she saw Sakura following her and calling out to her through the branches.

_Dammit,_ Naruto thought as he wanted to lose Sakura before the time limit was up, _guess I have to show her what Kazemon can do._

Kazemon lightly turned to face Sakura and said, "I need you to stop following me or I'll get in trouble."

Sakura continued to pursue the fairy Digimon until she saw Kazemon charge towards a nearby tree.

"Sorry, but I have no choice," said Kazemon as she began to rapidly kick the tree, "Roseo Temporale!"

Sakura watched in awe as Kazemon's kicks soon break the tree before witnessing her kick the tree towards her! The rosette quickly jumped towards the ground and roll back onto her feet, only to see that Kazemon had quickly disappeared from her sight.

"Kazemon, wait!" Sakura yelled through the forest before she hung her head in defeat, "I lost her…"

Kazemon continued to fly through the forest as she saw that she successfully got away from Sakura.

_I hated to do that,_ Naruto thought with guilt in his heart, _but I needed to lose her…and be by myself for a while._

"We're sorry that you had to hear that, Sugar," said AncientMermaimon as she comforted Naruto through his mind, "If it makes you feel any better, that girl doesn't know the kind of boy she just let escape through her fingers. You are the sweetest gentleman AncientKazemon and I have ever met in our lives; it her loss."

AncientKazemon soon joined in and said, "Yeah and it's her loss that she loses you to a sweet girl that you deserve."

Naruto felt the warmth from the Legendary Warriors of Wind and Water before a bright light enveloped him, causing him to fall to the ground in his original form.

"Ow…" said Naruto as he pushed himself onto his feet, "Note to self: be on solid ground should time run out."

After dusting the dirt off of himself, Naruto slowly continued through the forest as he was still thinking about how his whole day was nothing but a mess.

"Maybe tomorrow will be better," said Naruto as he could still feel the heartbreak from what Sakura had said, "That is if the 'dead weight' doesn't ruin it for everyone."

***Hokage's Office***

The Sandaime was looking through his crystal ball and couldn't help but sympathize with his grandson.

"I'm sorry that you had to learn that, Naruto," said the Sandaime as he looked at a nearby photo of himself in his younger years with his wife, Biwako, "Sakura doesn't realize how bad she had hurt you, my grandson."

The Sandaime carefully looked around before he pulled out a picture of an older version of Naruto, save for the whisker marks, and said, "I hope you can forgive an old fool, Minato, but I am trying my best to help your son. Hopefully the Legendary warriors can help him where I can't."

The Sandaime quickly hid the picture of Minato as he had a feeling that the Legendary Warriors would end up being the family that Naruto had always dreamed of having.

***Aburame Clan Compound***

Naruto slowly opened his eyes to find himself in an unfamiliar place that he had never seen before.

"Glad to see that you're awake," said a familiar voice as Naruto looked to see a young boy with spikey black hair wearing black sunglasses and a tannish green jacket that covered his lower face.

"Where…" asked Naruto as he slowly sat up, "Where am I?"

The boy handed Naruto a small cup of tea and said, "You are in the Aburama Clan Compound, Naruto, or more correctly, my room."

Naruto carefully looked at the boy and then asked, "Do I know you?"

"You really don't remember me?" said the boy with a stoic voice, "I'm Shino Aburame; we were in the same class together and we even somehow graduated together."

Naruto took a sip of the tea and said, "Sorry, you just didn't stand out much to me."

The blonde then saw some small containers with different bugs in each one of them as Shino said, "I found you in the forest passed out while I was hunting for new specimens when my Kikaichu Beetles sensed something nearby. In fact, they are still sensing something and it's coming from you."

Naruto choked a bit on the tea and said, "Well, I, uh…"

"Please do not lie to me," said Shino as Naruto felt a hardened glare from underneath the sunglasses, "I know about what you carry and all I have to say is that I am not like those who see the ill that was fed to them. In fact, my entire clan and I respect you as the hero for holding the Kyuubi back."

Naruto relaxed a bit as he took a sip of his tea.

"No," said Shino as he continued, "I am talking about something else as there is a different wavelength that is in your chakra." Naruto wasn't sure about what to say until he heard AncientBeetlemon speak to him.

"I think you can trust him with knowing about us," said the Legendary Warrior of Thunder, "Something about him is telling me that he is almost like you with how you hold both us and the Kyuubi. Bring him inside your mind so we could meet him."

"Well…" said Shino as he saw Naruto contemplating something.

Naruto soon relented and said, "I think it's better if I show you."

Naruto held out his hand to shake while his eyes were closed and waited until Shino grabbed his hand and did the same. Shibi watched the two as he had a feeling that there was more to Naruto than what many believed and were told.

***Mindscape***

Shino opened his eyes to find that he and Naruto were in some kind of sewer in front of a large cage.

"I take it we are in your mind," said Shino as he looked at Naruto before looking towards the cage, "and I take it that the Kyubi is being held inside that cage."

Naruto nodded as Shino then looked to see the Legendary Warriors that stood outside of the cage.

"Meet the Legendary Warriors," said Naruto as he pointed to each one as he said their name, "There's AncientGreymon, AncientGarurumon, AncientBeetlemon, AncientKazemon, AncientMegatheriumon, AncientWisetmon, AncientVolcamon, AncientTroiamon, AncientMermaimon, and AncientSphinxmon. Everyone, this is Shino Aburame."

AncientKazemon flew towards Shino and said, "It's nice to meet you, Shino."

Shino didn't respond as he was too busy staring at AncientBeetlemon with awe.

"Hello?" asked Naruto as he saw the stoic face on the Aburame, "Shino…are you there?"

Shino then moved towards AncientBeetlemon before he suddenly said, "What an amazing specimen…He is just magnificent."

The Legendary Warrior of Thunder blushed at the compliment and said, "I'm…I'm flattered that you think of me like that…I guess."

Shino continued to examine AncientBeetlemon and said, "To think that you held such powerful and magnificent beings inside of you is one thing, but he…AncientBeetlemon is a being that even we Aburame would only imagine to exist only in legends!"

"While I am honored to meet someone such as yourself," said AncientBeetlemon as he gave Shino a serious look, "but we would like to ask you about our host."

Shino understood the question and said, "I see Naruto as not only an ally but as a friend who shares the similar burden and those in my clan carry the Kikaichu beetles inside of our bodies; I would even see Naruto as an equal and hopefully a friend, Great Beetle-sama."

AncientBeetlemon blinked and said, "Great Beetle-sama, eh? I kind of like the sound of that. I like you Shino, you're a swell guy. Now you two should get going; I believe we kept you here long enough."

Shino gave the Legendary Warriors a bow as he and Naruto vanished with AncientBeeltemon knowing that the Aburame will be a great friend towards the blonde.

***Training Field #7***

Sakura and Sasuke were waiting near the posts when from the distance they saw Naruto and Shino heading towards them.

"So that was you?" said Naruto as he couldn't help but chuckle as Shino lightly nodded, "And to think that those guys thought it was me slipping itching powder on them!"

The two stopped near Sakura and Sasuke before Shino said, "It has been nice talking to you, Naruto-san, but I better get to my team. I do hope to talk to you later."

Naruto watched Shino walk away and said, "I can't wait to talk to ya later as well, Shino!"

After Shino vanished into the distance, Sasuke looked at Naruto and said, "What was that about dobe?"

Naruto turned to face Sasuke and said, "Shino was just telling about the few times he pranked the instructors that kick me out by using his Kikaichu beetles to give them bug bites. He's a really good friend, how did I not meet him earlier!"

Sakura gave Naruto a deadpanned look and said, "You actually like him? He's a creepy loser with an obsession with those disgusting bugs!"

The rosette soon froze as Naruto gave her a sharp and frightening glare as he said, "Do NOT disrespect MY friend like that! Shino has told me so many cool things about the bugs that he and the Aburame Clan study, like how ants can lift twenty times their own weight or how there is actually a bug that find your scent faster than any dog can that was once used by the Aburame Clan during the ninja wars! You're lucky we're on the same team, Sakura, because I dislike those who disrespect my friends!"

Sakura felt a shiver down her spine as Naruto went to a nearby tree to examine it.

_What was that about?_ Sakura asked herself as she shook her head, _Naruto had never spoken to me like that and he didn't call me Sakura-chan._

The rosette had originally planned on talking to Naruto after what Kazemon had told her, but she was a bit afraid since she already got her blond teammate upset with her.

_What do I do now?_ Sakura thought as Kakashi soon arrived to begin their day of missions and training.

The day had ended as Kakashi and Sasuke had left after the team had spared a few rounds.

"Hey, Naruto," asked Sakura as she carefully approached Naruto, "when we were waiting for Kakashi-sensei yesterday, what were you going to ask me?"

Naruto looked at the rosette and said, "I was going to ask you if you wanted to train a bit and see if you knew anything about chakra control. Nothing too serious, just some warm-ups, but what would a dead weight like me know?"

Sakura froze at what the blond had said while Naruto was mentally scolding himself for revealing that bit of information that Sakura had told Kazemon, a.k.a. HIM!

"Who told you that you were dead weight?" asked Sakura concerned about Kazemon being nearby, "I never said that you were dead weight; you're a part of the team, Naruto!"

Naruto looked at Sakura with a serious tone and said, "That's not how I see it Sakura. It's always Sasuke-kun this and Sasuke-kun that and while I try to be your friend, all I get is a beating with a side of insults. The dates didn't even have to _those_ kinds of dates but just spending time together as friends, even if I did have a crush on you. But I soon found out that sometimes having a crush can lead you to be crushed."

Sakura couldn't believe what she had heard as Naruto soon left as he mentioned something about getting some extra training on his own.

Finding her nerve, Sakura then yelled, "You're just jealous that I like Sasuke-kun way more than you as I could never hang around a stupid baka like YOU!"

The rosette triumphantly turned around and walked away with her head held up high, not knowing of the pained look on Naruto's face as her words echoed in the wind.

_Forget her,_ Naruto said as he fought back the tears as he had done in the past, _You don't need a pathetic one-sided crush like that anymore. I will find a nice girl who will be as sweet and kind as I have dreamed before._

Naruto continued to walk away, not knowing a pair of pale eyes watching him.

_One day, Naruto-kun,_ thought the owner of those eyes with a sweet dreamy smile on her face, _one day, I will gather up my courage to tell you that I love you._

**How will things turn out for Team 7 in the future? How will the bond between Naruto and Shino affect their lives? Don't forget to rate and review!**

**Ja ne.**


	3. Chapter 3

**I do not own Naruto or Digimon.**

"Spirit Fusion!" normal speech

_"Spirit Fusion!"_ thought/mind speak

**"Spirit Fusion!"** demon/Inner speech

Chapter 3

***Konohagakure; Forest***

Kakashi sat near a tree as he observed a shadow in the distance as his radio chimed.

"This is Sasuke," said Sasuke's voice from the radio, "I made it to Point B."

"Sakura reporting," said Sakura's voice as she chimed in, "I made it to Point C."

"Naruto here," said Naruto's voice as he chimed in, "I'm waiting in Point A."

"Take it easy, Naruto," said Kakashi as the shadow then quickly moved away, "THE TARGET HAS MOVED! I REPEAT: THE TARGET HAS MOVED!"

The shadow ran as the three genin carefully chased after it until it came to a stop while the genin hid behind a few trees.

"What is the status of the target?" Kakashi's voice chimed in on their radios.

"About five meters, Sensei," said Naruto as he had to fight the urge to quickly jump the shadow, "I'm ready for the signal."

"I'm ready as well," said Sasuke as he observed the shadow.

"Awaiting the signal," said Sakura as she carefully examined the small red ribbon on the shadow.

"Alright, on my mark," said Kakashi as he waited for the right moment from his location, "NOW!"

The three genin soon charged the shadow as Naruto quickly grabbed it from behind.

Kakashi heard the struggling sounds of the Fire Daimyo's Wife's cat along with Naruto's as he said, "Confirm target by red ribbon on right ear."

Sasuke's voice came in and said, "Ribbon confirmed: target, Tora the Cat, captured."

***Hokage's Office***

Team 7 had watched the Wife of the Fire Daimyo carry her cat away while hugging it to death.

"No wonder that stupid cat scratched the hell out of me," said Naruto as he was covered in claw marks that were slowly vanishing, "That woman's crushing him to death."

The Sandaime looked at the other available missions as he silently agreed with Naruto and said, "Since Team 7 has complete their mission Capture Missing Pet: Tora, there are still a few available missions. These missions include babysitting a council woman's three children, digging potatoes, and-"

"Isn't there any other mission we can do that doesn't sound like doing everyday chores?" asked Naruto as he was agitated by the D-ranked missions, "We're not getting anywhere with these stupid D-ranks!"

The Hokage sighed at the boy's impatience, but he has seen a change in the team during the past week, Naruto more than the others. While Sasuke and Sakura had received training and better knowledge than Naruto, the blond was now carrying himself with an aura that screamed 'Bring it' while it was backed up with a look that said 'Watch me.'

Indeed Naruto has gotten stronger in the past week thanks to the Legendary Warriors. The blonde did have a better understanding and knowledge of Kazemon's and Ranamon's power through training with both spirits and through the help of AncientKazemon and AncientMermaimon. Naruto eventually gained access to the Spirits of Thunder and Fire, Beetlemon and Agunimon respectively. Naruto's chakra control was still horrible, but through his stubbornness, Naruto had extended his time limit by an extra thirty seconds. Naruto was still waiting to access the power of the Beast Spirit, but the Legendary Warriors had told him that he wasn't yet ready for them.

_Beast Spirit or not,_ Naruto thought as he looked at the Sandaime with expectation, _I'm ready for whatever mission is next._

The Hokage smiled and said, "Alright, we do have a C-ranked mission; you four are to protect and escort our client back to his home in Nami. Bring him in."

The team looked to see a middle-aged man step in with a tipsy step as the bottle of booze in his hand proved that the man had a bit much.

"So this is the ninja team that's supposed to protect me?" said the man with rosy cheeks, "A bunch of brats?"

Naruto looked at the client and said, "We're more than just a bunch of brats, Sir."

The man looked the blonde over and said, "Whatever, just don't get me killed; I'm the Great Bridge Builder Tazuna."

After Tazuna had left, Kakashi faced his team and said, "Alright, go get your things packed and meet me and Tazuna at the gate in twenty minutes."

The Hokage watched Team 7 leave as Iruka asked, "Are you sure they're ready for this, Lord Hokage?"

The elderly man leaned back on his chair and said, "I know that they are just genin, Iruka, but know that Naruto is right about us holding them back. They will never grow into the ninja that is needed if we kept them here and hold their hands constantly; we can only be there for them as support."

Iruka looked out the window as he thought, _I know, but I still worry about Naruto...my little brother..._

***Konohagakure; Gates***

It had been twenty five minutes as Team 7, minus Naruto, and Tazuna were waiting when the blond had arrived.

"You're late, Naruto!" said Sakura as she glared at the blond.

"Hey, can't I tell my friends good-bye before I leave the village on a potentially dangerous mission?" Naruto countered, sending a small glare of his own towards Sakura, "Who knows, it might be the last time they could ever see me."

"Alright, settle down you two," said Kakashi, "Now that we're here, let's get moving as I'm sure that Tazuna-san would like to get home."

Sakura huffed as she and the others walked through the gates, but she couldn't help but scold herself mentally. Since that little outburst of hers last week had caused a rift between Sakura and Naruto to where the blond would just treat her like a member of the team and would mostly train on his own or hang out with Shino. At first the week was almost a dream come true for Sakura, but as time had gone by it felt empty without Naruto trying to ask her on a date or try to cheer her up after Sasuke rejects her…it almost felt like the part of her childhood before she met Ino…when the other kids picked on her because of her large forehead.

_No, I don't want things to go back to that,_ Sakura thought as she hated those memories, _I want things to go back to how they were before. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I actually miss Naruto trying to talk to me and I miss being friends with Ino. What do I do?_

**"****How about trying to get him to be friends with us again?"** said Inner Sakura, **"I for one really didn't mind Naruto's company as some of the jokes he had pulled before were really good."**

_Oh what would you know,_ Sakura thought as she pushed her Inner Self away, _what has he ever done for you? He's just being a pain to me, spoiled brat._

***Path Towards Nami***

Team 7 and Tazuna were walking down the road when Naruto and Kakashi noticed a puddle of water on the road.

"Maybe I should have brought an umbrella," said Naruto as he examined the sky while Kakashi was thinking of something else. Before anyone could act, two masked men with large gauntlets chained together appeared and had the jonin wrapped up in the chain.

"Say goodbye!" said one of the men as he and the other pulled their gauntlets to slice Kakashi to bits, "You kids are next!"

"I don't think so!" said Naruto as he got into a fighting stance, "Sakura, protect Tazuna while Sasuke and I handle these to; if things get bad, run!"

Sakura pulled out a kunai as Naruto and Sasuke charged towards the masked men.

"Hope your parents are ready to bury their child!" said one of the men as he went to slash Naruto, only for the blonde to duck.

"I don't have to worry," said Naruto as he pulled back his fist, "I'm an orphan."

Naruto punched the man in the gut as Sasuke had kicked the other man in the jaw, making the two disconnect the chains. The two didn't see the men quickly pass them and aim for Sakura and when the attack was about to attack, Kakashi quickly swooped in and clotheslined the two men in the neck.

"Kakashi-sensei!" said Sakura as the jonin unsealed some rope to tie the two unconscious men together, "You're alright!"

Kakashi looked at his student and said, "Of course I'm alright, did you really think I could be taken down that easily by a misplaced genjutsu?"

That was when Kakashi turned to Tazuna and said, "Why did you lie about the mission? These two are the feared Demon Brothers so tell me, why would ninjas target a simple bridge builder?"

Tazuna sighed as he knew he was caught and there was no way of getting out.

"Alright," said Tazuna as he knew he had no choice, "I'll tell you why…"

***Konohagakure; Hokage's Office***

The Sandaime was sitting in the office as he was working through some of the demonic paperwork when Team 8 had entered.

"Kurenai Yuhi reporting that the mission, Rooftop Repair, was a complete success," said a woman with long black hair and red eyes wearing white bandages over a red shirt.

"Good job, here is your pay," said the Hokage when a small dog appeared in his office and handed him a scroll. Kurenai saw the Sandaime's eye widen and knew that it wasn't good.

"What's wrong, Hokage-sama?" asked Hinata Hyuga with concern in her voice.

"It appears that Team 7 had ran into some unexpected trouble due to false information," said the elderly man, getting a shocked look from Hinata and a questioning hum from Shino.

"I'm guessing that dobe couldn't handle a single bandit mission outside the village," laughed a boy with spiky brown hair and long red fang-like marks on his cheeks wearing a grey furred jacket while a small white dog sat on his head.

Shino turned and look at the boy as his glasses slightly moved to show a small sharp look in his eyes.

"I ask that you do not disrespect Naruto-san in my presence, Kiba, unless you and Akamaru want fleas for the next week."

The boy and dog flinched and kept their mouths shut while the Sandaime gave the Aburame a questionable look.

"Naruto-san?" asked the elderly man as he looked at Shino, "Why do you call him that?"

Shino adjusted his glasses to cover his eyes and said, "I respect Naruto for who he is and his secrets, Hokage-sama; He had also won the respect of the Aburame Clan as Naruto-san will always be a welcomed guest at our compound."

The Sandaime lightly smiled at Naruto not only making a new friend, but gaining the respect of an entire clan.

"Very well," said the elderly man as he handed a scroll to Kurenai, "This scroll contains details of Team 7's mission and their destination. Now hurry before the worst happens."

Team 8 nodded and quickly left while the Hokage looked out his window in deep thought.

_Please be safe Naruto,_ the Sandaime thought as he watched Team 8 rush through the village.

***Path Towards Nami***

Team 7 and Tazuna had decided to continue with their mission after the bridge builder had revealed that the ninjas after him were hired by a powerful drug lord named Gato and that the bridge that connected Nami to the land was the only way to stop Gato's influence. Kakashi agreed, but he had sent word to the Hokage to send in backup as soon as possible as who knows what other ninja might appear.

As they continued walking, Naruto heard something in the bushes and quickly dashed towards it and pulled out a small white rabbit.

"You scared me little guy," said Naruto as he held the rabbit by the ears, "Who wants White Rabbit Stew?"

Kakashi ignored that rabbits frantic struggling as he thought, _That rabbit's fur shouldn't be white during spring unless someone had kept is inside. Then that means…!_

"Everyone!" said Kakashi as he tackled everyone to the ground, "Get down!"

A giant sword had just barely missed them as it was soon embedded into a nearby tree as a man with short spiky black hair with bandages over the lower half of his face wearing grey pants and winter camouflage leg and arm warmers. Team 7 and Tazuna quickly got up with the genin surrounding Tazuna while Kakashi got into a fighting position.

"I should have known that nothing would ever get by the famous Copycat Ninja," said the man as he looked at Kakashi, "isn't that right, Kakashi of the Sharingan?"

"Sharingan?' asked Sakura as she knew that only those of the Uchiha Clan possess the legendary dojutsu. Kakashi lifted up his hitai-ate to reveal a red eye with three tomoes in the iris.

_How does he have the Sharingan?!_ Sasuke thought as a heavy mist blanketed the area.

Naruto was surprised that his sensei had something like the Sharingan as the blond had actually expected to see a gaping hole were Kakashi's previous eye was.

"I need you three to run and get Tazuna out of here," said Kakashi as he kept his focus on the man on the sword, "That's Zabuza Momochi, the Demon of the Mist! He's too powerful for you three to handle, so while I deal with him, take Tazuna out of here!"

Naruto tightened his fists and said, "I agreed to take this mission no matter the risks and I am not going to let this guy scare me that easily!"

Kakashi could feel the steel-like resolve in Naruto's words and knew that it would take more to get the blonde to back away as he then sensed Sakura's and Sasuke's resolve.

"You got guts, gaki," said Zabuza as he soon appeared between the genin and Tazuna, "too bad that I'll end up ripping them right out of you."

Kakashi quickly replaced himself with his genin team and Tazuna before cutting the Kiri ninja with a kunai, only for Zabuza to turn into water.

"A Water Clone!" said Sakura as she and the others regained their balance as more Zabuzas appeared. Kakashi quickly ran through while slashing each Zabuza before he saw a Zabuza standing on the nearby lake and went to attack him. This Zabuza quickly jumped back and pulled out the giant sword, easily bisecting Kakashi but soon found that Kakashi had melted into water.

"So," said Zabuza as he quickly turned around to block an attack from Kakashi, "you copied my jutsu. No matter, I'll still kill the bridge builder."

Naruto and Sasuke were dealing with some of the Zabuza clones when they heard the sound of chanting and looked to see Kakashi and the real Zabuza launch two dragon-shaped jets of water at each other. The two jonin then met at the center before another Zabuza appeared and trapped Kakashi in a sphere of water while the other charged towards the genin.

"I'll take care of him!" said Naruto as he formed his cross hand seal, "Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

A legion of Narutos appeared and quickly dog piled the man, until they were all launched when Zabuza quickly swung his sword.

"Sasuke!" shouted Naruto as he threw a folded object towards said person.

Sasuke caught it and smirk before he turned around as the object unfolded to reveal a windmill shuriken. Sasuke threw the shuriken towards Zabuza and the Kiri ninja was ready to bat it away when the weapon flew by him towards the other Zabuza.

"So you saw through the clone? No matter," said the real Zabuza as he then caught the shuriken effortlessly, "you'll have to do more than that if you wish to take me down!"

The sound of metal flying in the wind alerted Zabuza of another shuriken flying towards him.

"A second shuriken!?" said Zabuza as he quickly jumped to avoid the attack until the shuriken then transformed into Naruto.

"Surprise, dumbass!" said Naruto as he threw a kunai toward Zabuza. The swordsman couldn't risk an injury to the shoulder so he quickly moved his arm out of the sphere of water, avoiding the kunai and setting Kakashi free.

"You brat!" said Zabuza as he summoned a clone underwater and sent it towards Naruto before Kakashi quickly attacked him. The clone pulled Naruto underwater and planned on drowning the blonde while the real Zabuza handled Kakashi.

_Let's see how you like one more surprise,_ Naruto thought with a smirk on his face as he as a flash of light shone through the water.

Above the water, Kakashi was using a kunai to hold his ground against Zabuza's sword when a bright light shone from the water.

"Gaki must have blown himself up," said Zabuza as he smirked under the bandages.

_Naruto…_Kakashi thought as the image of Naruto floating towards the bottom lifelessly until he saw a figure burst from the water and kick Zabuza. The figure was a young girl with sea foam green skin wearing a blue one piece swimsuit and hat adorned with fins.

"Who are you?" asked Kakashi as he was curious about the figure that stood on the water next to him, "Where's Naruto?"

The girl looked at the jonin and said, "My name's Ranamon and if you're talking about Blondie, then he's safe with a few of my friends."

The two then saw Zabuza attacking them, but missed as Kakashi and Ranamon quickly jumped away.

"My word, someone's being quite rude!" said Ranamon as she slid on the water before holding her hand in the air, "Let's see how you handle a little Draining Rain!"

A rain cloud formed over Zabuza and began pouring a stream of water over the Kiri ninja until he use his sword to swat it away.

"I don't know what you are, but you're a fool for thinking that you could use water against me," said Zabuza as he lifted the giant blade over his shoulder before his body began to heave from the weight.

_What is this? How could I be this tired already?_ Zabuza questioned himself as he tried to catch his breath until he saw Kakashi dash towards him. He quickly jumped away while he felt the blade becoming heavier by the second.

_I only have one shot at this rate,_ Zabuza thought as he went to circle around Kakashi, only to find the Konoha ninja mimicking him.

"What the Hell?" said Zabuza as he tried circling Kakashi in the other direction, but the man was mimicking him again, "How are you-"

"-doing this!?" said Kakashi, shocking Zabuza out of his wits. Zabuza went to perform a jutsu, only for Kakashi to quickly finish the jutsu.

"Water Style: Giant Vortex Jutsu!" said Kakashi as a giant vortex of water appeared and slammed the Kiri ninja into a tree before using kunai to trap him against the tree.

"And to make sure you don't butcher anyone with that blade," said Ranamon as a small cloud formed on the giant sword, "Dark Vapor!"

Everyone watched as the cloud was somehow melting the sword until it was half its size and completely dulled.

Zabuza then saw Kakashi appear in the tree and said, "Can you…see into the future!?"

Kakashi looked at the man and ominously said, "Yes…and your future is death!"

Three senbon needles soon appeared and were jammed into Zabuza's neck as a young man with long black hair wearing a mask, a green jacket, and brown pants appeared. Kakashi saw Zabuza fall to the ground and went to examine the man's vitals, only to find him dead.

"Thank you for weakening this criminal," said the young man as he soon lifted the man and the ruined sword, "I must go now and take care of the body. Farewell."

The young boy vanished with Zabuza in tow while Kakashi soon approached Ranamon.

"Thank you for your assistance," said Kakashi as Sakura, Sasuke, and Tazuna walked next towards the two.

"It wasn't a problem, Sugar," said Ranamon as she smiled, "my friends 'n I were just passing by when we saw the scuffle. I dove in to save Naruto-kun and helped you while my friends took care of Blondie."

Sakura soon approached Ranamon and asked, "You don't happen to know Kazemon, do you?"

"Of course, Sugar," said Ranamon as she chuckled, "she told me about how you feel about Naruto-kun and all I have to say is that you are quite the fool for throwing away a little gentleman for a boy whose attitude could match a grumpy porcupine."

Sakura's eyes twitched as she said, "DON'T TALK ABOUT MY SASUKE-KUN LIKE THAT YOU SEA HAG!"

Ranamon huffed as she then walked towards the water.

Seeing what she had done, Sakura quickly ran towards the water fairy Digimon and said, "W-w-wait, I'm sorry Ranamon! I didn't mean that, honestly!"

"Sure you didn't mean that," said Ranamon as she made it to the edge of the water, "like how you didn't mean it when you told Kazemon that Naruto is just dead weight to the team."

Sakura cringed at that as she then said, "Look, can I at least go with you to talk to Naruto…I…don't want to lose another friend."

Ranamon turned to face Sakura with a questioning look and said, "You think of him as a friend? Ha! I don't think he considers you as a friend and frankly he decided to just stop trying since you're so hung up on beating the poor boy to death while you crush not just his spirits, but his poor fragile heart."

Sakura was shocked that Naruto didn't see her as a friend as she then grabbed Ranamon's wrist and said, "You're wrong! Naruto still sees me as a friend! You're lying! YOU'RE MAKING HIM INTO YOUR OWN LITTLE PUPPET YOU LITTLE-"

_*SLAP!*_

Everyone froze as Sakura fell to the ground with a bright red mark on her cheek from Ranamon's backhanded slap.

"Don't you dare say that about me," said Ranamon as anger burning in her eyes as she stared down Sakura, "I would never do such VILE things to that poor sweet boy! Now if you don't mind, I need to get back with the others. We'll have Naruto wait at the docks in Nami."

Sakura watched as Ranamon dove into the water and swim away as she felt the stinging mark on her face.

Team 8 soon arrived to witness what had happened as Kurenai asked, "What happened here and who was that?"

Shino calmly looked around and asked, "Where's Naruto-san, Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi looked at Kurenai's team and said, "It's a long story, but we must get Tazuna home before any more trouble start."

It wasn't a few steps later that the silver haired jonin fell to the ground, scaring everyone around him as his world had gone dark.

"KAKASHI!"

**What will happen on the mission with Kakashi suddenly out of commission? What will happen to Sakura after what Ranamon had said to her?**

**If your wondering why Ranamon was walking on water while Naruto doesn't even know about it, I decided to give the Spirit Forms Naruto use certain advantages. For example, as Ranamon, Naruto will be able to easily walk on water without burning chakra and be able to breath underwater as well. Each form will grant different advantages with each of them being revealed over time.**

**Don't forget to rate and review!**

**Ja ne.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Another chapter of the Wave/Nami Arc and how will Teams 7 and 8 handle the mission? Will there be drama between the two teams? Will either team run into Ranamon or her friends?**

**On a final note, I do not own Naruto or Digimon.**

"Spirit Fusion!" normal speech

_"Spirit Fusion!"_ thought/mind speak

**"Spirit Fusion!"** demon/Inner speak

Chapter 4

***Nami; Docks***

Naruto stood on the edge of the docks as he soon saw a small boat arrive carrying his teammates, Kurenai's team, and Tazuna. When the boat got close enough, Sakura quickly jumped onto the docks and hugged Naruto.

"Naruto!" said Sakura as she hugged the blond, "I'm glad you're alright; you're not hurt are you. That Ranamon didn't do anything bad to you did she?"

Naruto carefully pushed Sakura away and said, "I'm fine and I don't know who you're talking about. I passed out underwater when that Water Clone dragged me and when I woke up, I was here."

Naruto looked over Sakura's shoulder to see Kurenai holding Kakashi up and asked, "What happened to Kakashi-sensei?"

"Just a little chakra exhaustion Naruto," said Kakashi as he was completely drained, "I used my Sharingan too long, but we should get to Tazuna's house; he agreed to take us in while we protect him and help out on the bridge."

The blond nodded as he soon saw Shino and said, "Hey Shino, didn't expect to see you here. How have you been?"

Shino shrugged and said, "Alright. I'm just glad that you are okay, Naruto-san."

"Come on," said Tazuna as he waved towards the Konoha ninja, "We can talk more at my house."

Everyone nodded and followed the man through the rundown village towards his home.

***Gato's Hideout***

A short man with tannish brown hair wearing a suit walked into a room where Zabuza was resting on the couch, holding the ruined sword in his hand.

"I hired you to kill Tazuna and here you are licking your wounds after getting tossed around by a copycat and a little water fairy?" asked the man as one of his bodyguards chuckled until the giant blade was rammed into his body, sticking him to the wall.

"That wasn't an ordinary water fairy," Zabuza growl at the hit to his pride, "If she was able to damage the Kubikiribocho with that jutsu of hers, then one can only imagine what she can do to a person with it."

The sword was returning to its original shape as the bodyguard struggled to free himself until he limped over the blade.

"Now that the Kubikiribocho's fixed, all we need to do is wait for me to get better and I'll handle that bridge builder and this time, I will kill all who stand in my way. Right Haku?"

A figure appeared from the shadows to reveal the young man as he pulled the sword free from the wall and returned it to the owner.

"Of course," said the young man as he removed his mask to reveal a feminine-looking face, "Zabuza-sama."

The young man then faced the shorter man and said, "It would be wise to leave right now, Gato, I still have to tend to some of Zabuza-sama's wounds."

The man grunted as he and his remaining bodyguard left; leaving the two alone.

"Keep an eye on the boy," said Zabuza as he leaned back on the couch, "I can't shake the feeling that he and that water fairy are connected somehow."

Haku nodded and said, "As you order."

***Tazuna's House***

The Konoha ninja and Tazuna had arrived at the bridge builder's home and they had just finished dinner when Kakashi spoke up.

"I hate to break this to everyone, but Zabuza is still alive," said the jonin as everyone looked at his with complete shock.

"But how is that possible?" Sakura asked, "You even said that his future was death and you even checked his vitals."

Kakashi laced his fingers together and said, "I know, but something wasn't right when the hunter-nin arrived and took Zabuza away. All hunter-nins are to dispose of the body right at the spot and yet, he took him away. That hunter-nin also used senbon needles to strike at the pressure points on Zabuza's neck; pressure points when struck like that…"

"…causes a death-like state," Kurenai finished, getting a nodded from the cycloptic jonin.

"Okay, but even if Zabuza was somehow still alive," said Sakura, "that sword of his is completely useless thanks to Ranamon."

Kakashi let out a sigh and said, "That might be the case were it a regular sword, but that sword is one of the legendary Swords of the Mist, Kubikiribocho. That particular sword could be completely dulled down to the hilt as all it would take to repair it would be the blood to its victims."

_Great,_ Naruto thought as he remembered melting the sword as Ranamon, _there goes turning that sword into crap._

"So how long do you think we have until he returns?" asked Kiba with Akamaru lying underneath his chair.

Kakashi looked at everyone and said, "I'm only guessing on this, but he may come back in seven days. So until then, we are going to train for when that day arrives as we protect the bridge builder."

***Forest***

The Konoha ninja arrived in a forest as Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke were watching their sensei, who was on crutches, stand before them.

"Alright, time for you to learn how to climb trees," said Kakashi with his trademark eye smile, "without using your hands."

Kurenai shockingly looked at the jonin and said, "You're NOW teaching them chakra control!? My team already knows that AND the water walking exercises!"

Naruto looked towards Shino as saw the Aburame lightly nod confirming that he knew the exercises.

Kakashi demonstrated how to perform the exercises as Kurenai's students decided to work on their own training.

"All you have to do is focus your chakra onto the bottom of your feet," said Kakashi as he hobbled back down to the ground, "but you must the amount correct; too little and you just slip right off and too much will knock you away."

Kakashi then tossed a kunai to each of his students and said, "Use these to mark your progress."

"Alright," said Naruto as he focused his chakra, "here goes!"

Naruto ran towards the tree and after a few steps he was violently blown off.

"Ow…" Naruto groaned as he slowly got back onto his feet, "Guess that was too much chakra."

Sasuke then approached a tree as he focused his chakra before running towards it. He felt his feet slipping after seven steps up the tree when he slashed his mark and jumped back.

"You're so amazing Sasuke-kun!" said Sakura before she focused her chakra. She was able to take ten steps before she had to jump away after leaving her mark.

_This is going to take a while,_ Naruto thought as he heard the Legendary Warrior of Wood crying in his mind, _Sorry AncientTroiamon._

A few minutes had passed as Team 8 was watching Team 7's progress; Sakura had already made it up to a branch while Sasuke was three-fourths of the way and Naruto was barely halfway.

"Very good Sakura," said Kakashi as he observed his students, "If you want to, you can go see if Tazuna needs any help with the bridge."

Kurenai soon stepped in and said, "Why not have Sakura help her teammates with this exercise?"

Seeing the woman's point, Sakura jumped down from the branch and looked at Sasuke.

"Do you need any help, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked when she received a glare from the Uchiha, "Alright, well…I'll be off…"

"What about Naruto?" asked Kiba as said blond cursed to himself after sliding off from his tree again, "He could use some help."

Sakura look to see Naruto get up and try again, only for the blond to make it two steps further than before.

"He's doing alright by himself," said Sakura as a disapproving look from Kurenai told her otherwise.

"Don't bother." said Naruto as he got to his feet, "If she doesn't want to help, then let her do what she wants; I'm only getting in the way of her wonderful social life."

The rosette looked at Naruto and said, "Oh and what would you know about having a social life like mine baka!"

The sound of furious buzzing alerted Sakura to the swarm of beetles around her as Shino looked at her.

"I will help Naruto-san," said Shino as he kept his gaze on Sakura, "if it is alright with you, Kurenai-sensei."

Kurenai looked at her student and gave him a nod before she turned her attention to Kakashi.

"See Kakashi," said Kurenai as she gave the Cyclops an accusing look, "you talk about how important teamwork is, but look at your team; the reason why this team needed help with this mission is because its dysfunctional and you're not doing anything to correct it! Now if you don't mind, I'm going to see if Tsunami needs any help!"

Everyone watched as Kurenai stormed off with Hinata and Kiba and Akamaru following her while Kakashi looked at his team to find Sasuke continue his exercise, Sakura was staring at him like a lost puppy, while Naruto was facing Shino as the Aburame was giving him advice on the exercise.

"Kakashi-sensei?" asked Sakura as she was concerned about her teacher.

_Is this really what I'm doing?_ Kakashi asked himself as he saw that Sasuke had finally made it halfway past the branch while Naruto was actually making better progress than before, _Minato-sensei and Obito would be greatly disappointed in me for stomping on their teachings._

"I'm going back to the house." said Kakashi as he hobbled through the woods, "I need to get some rest…continue your training if you want to."

Sakura solemnly watch Kakashi leave as she then looked at where Naruto and Sasuke were at on their trees. Sasuke had made it to the second branch while Naruto had just made it to the branch before falling next to Shino.

_Is the team really in _that_ bad of shape?_ Sakura thought to herself as she watched Naruto run up the tree again while Sasuke had landed on the ground, covered in sweat, _Yeah we don't always get along, but teams are supposed to have conflict like this…right?_

Sakura then thought about what Kazemon and Ranamon had said about how she treated her blonde teammate as a twinge of guilt had struck her heart.

_Maybe I should at least be nicer to him,_ Sakura thought as Naruto ran up the tree halfway past the branch before slashing the bark as he leapt from the tree.

**_*Dream World*_**

_Kakashi was wandering through an endless field of green when he saw two figures in the distance. After looking real hard, the jonin's lone eye widened as he knew who the figures were: Obito Uchiha and Minato Namikaze!_

_"__Obito! Sensei!" cheered Kakashi as he rushed towards them until he was punched in the gut by Obito. Kakashi fell to his knees, holding his stomach, as he looked up to see the look of disappointment in both Obito's and Minato's faces and felt heartache and pain just by staring at them._

_"__You've disappointed me, Kakashi." said Obito as he stared at the man with his lone eye, "Didn't you learn anything after that mission…the day that I died!?"_

_Kakashi looked to see that Obito's remaining eye was a fully matured Sharingan and the glare was laced in pure venom._

_"__I'm beginning to think that I was wrong in giving you my eye," said Obito as he turned to walk away._

_"__Obito, wait!" said Kakashi as he tried to crawl towards his friend, "Come back!"_

_"__Kakashi," said Minato as the sound of his name gave said man chills down his spine, "You have disappointed me as well. I took you in in hopes of helping you get past your father's death and get you to open up to others…unfortunately…I was wrong into thinking that you could let go of such memories."_

_Kakashi felt himself shatter at those words and he looked up to see Minato's face change into Naruto's whiskered face._

_"__What's wrong?" said Minato with a stoic look, "You look like you saw a ghost. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if you never thought of it."_

_Kakashi wanted to say that he knew that Naruto was Minato's son and he always saw the blond as a little brother._

_The cycloptic jonin then saw something change with Obito and Naruto-Minato; their forms changed into two new figures, one was a man with fiery yellow-orange hair that reached down his waist wearing red and yellow armor and the other was also a man in gold and black armor that was adorned with lion-like features._

_"__Kakashi," said the man in the lion armor with Obito's voice, "I thought that by giving you my Sharingan eye that you will honor and carry all that I believe in, but now I see that all you use it for is to stay connected to me along with the Uchiha boy you seem to favor; had I made a mistake with trusting you with such a gift?"_

_Kakashi wanted to say something, but the man in red armor said, "Had I made a mistake in thinking that you can be able to let go of the past and focus of the future…especially the future of my son?"_

_The jonin then felt something pulling him from underneath and when he looked down, he saw a giant demonic-looking beast holding a black sphere in it large claws. Inside the sphere, Kakashi could see a small boy draped in white robes…the boy had raven black hair and two fully matured Sharingan eyes._

_"__Sasuke!?" said Kakashi as he tried to pull himself away from the beast, "Get out of there!"_

_Sasuke chuckled as his sickly sweet voice said, "Why? I have all the power to avenge my clan…the power to kill that man! You helped me get to where I am and the only one who can stop me…is too weak to do anything and it's all thanks to you…Kakashi-sensei."_

_In his panicked state, Kakashi quickly turned to the two armored men and said, "Obito! Sensei! Please help me! I didn't want this; I wanted to honor your memories! Please save me! Obito! Minato-sensei!"_

_Kakashi saw the two armored men vanish as he tried to claw himself away before the large beast clamped its mouth shut…_

**_*End Dream*_**

***Tazuna's House***

"Sensei!" said Kakashi as he rose up from his bed with sweat running down his brow. He looked around to find that it was just him and it was all just a terrible nightmare.

_Minato-sensei…Obito…_Kakashi thought as he put his face into his hands, _I'm so sorry…_

Dinner had arrived as Kakashi was sitting at the table as everyone had finished with their dinner.

"Did you sleep well, Sensei?" asked Sakura as she looked at her teacher.

Kakashi was glad he had his mask on as he paled at the memory of the nightmare and said, "Yes, it was good to get some needed rest."

Kurenai gave Kakashi a quick look and saw the haunted look in his lone eye, and she decided not to bring it up as she thought it was just those old war dreams. She still has them from time to time as those days were never the same.

"So," said Kakashi as he looked at his students, "how was the rest of your training?"

"Why bother," said a small boy wearing green overalls and a hat, "you're just going to die fighting for a lost cause!"

Tsunami looked at the boy pleadingly and said, "Inari, please don't be like this."

Inari scowled and said, "Why? Nothing they can do will stop Gato as he and all his thugs will kill them without a second thought. They should just return to their village as all they do will count for nothing! Do they even really care about us?"

_*Kra-BOOM!*_

Everyone was taken aback as Naruto held Inari by his shirt against the wall and had a threatening look on his eyes.

"Don't you DARE say that we don't care about anyone!" Naruto said as he tightened his grip, "Have you ever had to grow up all by yourself without a parent to love or to be loved by? Have you ever had people ruthlessly beat the crap out of you for no reason or even put you down just because you were 'trying to be better than everyone'? Have you ever thought of killing yourself because no one had ever seen past the lies SPOKEN ABOUT YOU!?"

A threatening aura was pouring out of Naruto as those watching could have sworn that there was a red dragon standing over the blond, ready to kill Inari with one fell swipe.

"N-N-Naruto-kun, please, stop!" said Hinata as she feared for the small child's safety, "He didn't know what he was talking about!"

The blond looked at Hinata as the aura rescinded and the dragon's image had vanished. Naruto gave one last look to Inari before throwing the boy to the side and headed towards the door.

"Naruto," said Kakashi with slight authority in his voice, "where are you going?"

The blond looked at Kakashi and said, "I'm going out…don't wait for me."

Naruto exited the house as he slammed the door behind him, shaking the whole building and leaving everyone shocked and paralyzed at what had happened.

_What was that!?_ Sakura thought as the image of the dragon was burned in her mind, _Was that _really_ Naruto!?_

Sasuke couldn't believe what he had witnessed: that amount of Killing Intent was insane! He had never felt fear like that since the massacre of his clan!

Kakashi and Kurenai wanted to question what had happened right there as that Killing Intent had actually paralyzed them to the core.

_But that wasn't the Kyuubi,_ Kakashi thought as he remembered feeling its Killing Intent years ago, _that was something else…something that even Ibiki himself would fear!_

"Ka…Kakashi-sensei," asked Sakura as she slightly settled her nerves, "w-what was Naruto t-talking about?"

Kakashi let out a sigh as he decided to mention parts about Naruto's life.

"Naruto had a…" said Kakashi as he tried to find the right words without revealing too much about said blond, "very rough life. He grew up alone and at first, unloved, but it was thanks to very few people that Naruto was able to find that love. That is the reason he used to ask you out so many times, Sakura; he had love of a…small family, but he never had that special love…that addictive love that makes people crazy and at times, weird."

Sakura felt the guilt rip her heart badly for how she had treated him now as what Kazemon and Ranamon had said to her had rung through her skull.

"But I don't understand about why me? Why not anyone else?" asked Sakura as Hinata had to resist giving the rosette a deadpanned look.

"Well…" Kakashi continued as he knew he had to tread lightly until Shino spoke up.

"Do you happen to know Naruto-san's birthday?" Shino asked with a stoic, but questioning tone.

After getting no answer, the Aburame then said, "I see. This is why this team is so dysfunctional; neither you nor Sasuke had ever bothered to just talk to Naruto-san instead of belittling him because of how…idiotic he makes himself. I happen to know Naruto-san's birthday and he knows of mine, and with when his birthday is, I understand why he is wary of whom he tells."

Sakura looked at Shino and asked, "When is Naruto's birthday?"

Shino adjusted his glasses as he said, "Forgive me, but I do not wish to indulge you of Naruto-san's birthday…especially to those who do not care for him. Now if you do not mind, I must get some rest as we know only have six days until Zabuza returns."

After Shino climbed the stairs, Kakashi had gotten up and began to hobble towards the door.

"Where are you going?" asked Sakura as Kakashi opened the door.

Before he walked out, Kakashi said, "I'm going to do something that I should have been doing from the start and if all of you are smart…you are to stay here as Kurenai will be temporarily in charge until I return."

Kurenai gently smiled as the silver haired jonin closed the door behind him as she knew what the man was going to do…

***Forest***

Naruto laid on the ground after letting his clones beat the hate out of him, much to the Legendary Warriors' chagrin.

_They warned me about letting myself fly off the handle like that,_ Naruto thought as he remembered that ominous aura when he had confronted Inari, _I can't risk becoming wild like that if I'm going to have even a splinter's chance of controlling the Beast Spirits._

"But there are better ways of dealing with some of those wild emotions that doesn't involve literally beating yourself up," said AncientWisetmon, "You can meditate, do some gardening, yoga, and even just sleeping."

_But those won't work,_ said Naruto as he got to his feet as the soreness left his body, _not for me anyway. I just need to let this anger out without hurting anyone._

The other Legendary Warriors wanted to argue, but AncientSphinxmon said, "Let the boy handle his problems how he wants to as he knows that he can talk to us or those he sees close to him for whenever he needs it."

Naruto smiled as he thanked the Legendary Warrior of Darkness as he decided that he had enough chakra for some more training.

Kakashi had just made it to where Naruto could be when he saw a sudden flash of light.

_What was that?_ Kakashi thought as he increased his crippled pace, _Please let Naruto be safe._

When he arrived, Kakashi's uncovered eye widened as he saw the man in red armor throwing multiple punches and kicks.

_What's HE doing here!?_ Kakashi thought as he saw the man in red armor look at a tree and tightened his fists.

"Alright," said the armored man as he formed a hand seal with a cloud of dust flying from his feet, "time to try something."

_Is he…_the cycloptic ninja thought as the armored figure ran towards the tree and took a few steps before slipping and smacking his face into the tree, _training? Training for what?_

"Arhg! Dammit!" the armored man cried out as he held his injured face, "I'm back at square freaking ONE!"

The man got to his feet as he took in a deep breath and let it out as he said, "Keep it together, man. Don't need BurningGreymon destroying everything and risking everyone's lives."

_Who's BurningGreymon?_ Kakashi thought as took a step forward and inadvertently stepped on a twig.

_*snap!*_

"Who's there?" said the armored man as he turned towards the source of the sound and took a fighting stance, fists igniting with destructive fire, "Show yourself!"

Kakashi decided to step out of the shadows, getting a shocked look from the armored man as the flames in his fists had gone out, and said, "You have nothing to worry about me. I just have some questions for you that I was hoping you can answer."

"That depends Kakashi," said the armored man as he quickly covered his mouth with a panicked look on his face.

The jonin hummed as he said, "You know of my name, yet I do not know yours. Care to explain?"

The armored man uncovered his mouth and stood thoughtfully, as if he was contemplating something.

"I…" the man in red began nervously, "I'm a friend of Ranamon's. I'm Agunimon and I'm part of a group that was sent to keep an eye on Naruto…your student."

"Nice to meet you, Agunimon," Kakshi said with an eye smile, "although I do have some more questions for you. One, for example, is how much do you know of my squad and their mission?"

Agunimon let out a sigh as he said, "Only what Ranamon had told me as a couple others and I were helping your student. You guys are protecting some bridge builder guy from that Zabuza character. That's all I know."

Kakashi studied the figure before him as he then asked, "I heard you mentioning about a BurningGreymon. Who is he?"

The armored blond nervously gulped as he then said, "BurningGreymon…he's…he's my more…primal and wild form and I could never keep him under control. I've never called forth his power, but I know I wouldn't be able to handle the amount of power he has at the moment."

"Have you tried to call forth BurningGreymon's power before?" Kakashi asked as this might cause trouble for the village.

"No I haven't" Agunimon admitted slight hesitation as he then looked at his hands, "but I can feel him sometimes when I get angry and fly off the handle sometimes. The only way I can think of taming this anger is either by training or having the others beat the living crap out of me."

The jonin took note of what was said as he then asked, "I saw you trying to do the tree climbing exercise with little progress. Were you watching us?"

"Yeah." Agunimon admitted as he scratched the back of his head, "I kind of really liked the idea of climbing trees without your hands, it's really cool."

"You know…" Kakashi said with a small smile under his mask, "you remind me of Naruto. If you don't mind me asking, why are you and your friends watching Naruto? Is there something about him that has caught your group's interest?"

"I'm really not sure if I should tell you…" Agunimon said with a sigh, "Kazemon had already revealed to that pink-haired student of yours…Sakura I think her name was…about how we have a clan and Naruto could be a part of that clan."

"And what clan would that be?" Kakashi asked as he only knew of the Uzumaki Clan.

"We really don't know actually." Agunimon sadly admitted, "We've actually been asleep for so long that we can't remember, but we do know that Naruto has this aura about him that is similar to that clan."

Kakashi hummed before he said, "Well it's getting late and I better make sure my student is safe. It was nice talking to you Agunimon and I wish the best of luck to you in your training and finding your clan."

Agunimon nodded as Kakashi soon hobbled away into the forest's darkness.

What Agunimon didn't know was that the jonin had used a genjutsu to hide behind a tree as he left in order to closely watch him.

_Alright,_ Kakashi thought to himself as he studied the armored warrior, _let's see how much you really know._

Before any form of training could begin, Agunimon suddenly collapsed onto his knees as a bright light enveloped around him. When the light vanished, Kakashi was once again surprised as he saw Naruto at the same exact spot as Agunimon, breathing heavily.

"Damn did I really push it." Naruto said out loud, unaware of his sensei watching him, "I'd thought Kakashi-sensei wouldn't leave…I'd hate having to explain about my power before…"

Naruto never finished as he soon collapsed onto the cold ground in complete exhaustion while his teacher rushed towards him.

Seeing the blond unconscious, Kakashi let out a sigh as he heard Naruto breathing and said, "Total chakra exhaustion. That power of his must have used a lot of chakra, even for an Uzumaki."

Looking at his student, Kakashi began to ponder about his unconscious student…

If Agunimon was Naruto and Agunimon was Ranamon's friend, then could that mean that Naruto was also Ranamon?

_Impossible,_ the jonin thought as he remembered the two jutsus Ranamon had used during the fight with Zabuza, _Naruto doesn't know any other jutsu beside the Shadow Clone, his Sexy Jutsu, and the basic academy jutsus._

Kakashi thought back to when they met up with Naruto. He remembered the blond breathing heavily, as if he just ran through one of Gai's insane training regimens.

_How did Naruto get to the docks anyway?_ Kakashi asked himself as Naruto had never mentioned about how he got there before they did, nor had he mentioned anything about Ranamon's friends.

Kakashi then suddenly remembered that flash of light he saw. If that flash of light had revealed Agunimon to be Naruto, then back at the fight with Zabuza…the blond was underwater where that flash of light had appeared before Ranamon did.

_Naruto was…no…IS Ranamon AND Agunimon!_ Kakashi thought with surprise at what Naruto had hidden from him.

The jonin chuckled as he then said, "You have quite the destiny ahead of you…Naruto Namikaze-Uzumaki."

**What will happen now that Kakashi knows of Naruto's power? Could there actually be more to Kakashi's dream than what was seen? Don't forget to rate and review!**

**Ja ne.**


	5. Chapter 5

**I do not own Naruto or Digimon. If I did, then the fusion form of the Spirit of Ice would look WAY better than a giant penguin.**

"Spirit Fusion!" normal speech

_"Spirit Fusion!"_ thought/mind speak

**"Spirit Fusion!"** demon/Inner speak

Chapter 5

**_*Dream World*_**

_Sakura Uchiha was walking through the marketplace with bags of groceries in her hands._

_"__Good morning, Uchiha-san!" said one of the merchants with a smile on his face, "Today's a wonderful day isn't it?"_

_Sakura smiled and said, "Indeed it is for a woman such as I and I can't wait to fix my hubby his favorite dessert!" The rosette traveled through the market and chuckled to herself as she passed a homeless Ino who was begging for change._

Such a wonderful day,_ Sakura thought to herself as she continued her journey through the streets, unaware of what awaited her._

_Sakura had eventually made it home and when she entered, she couldn't help but notice how quiet it was._

_"__Sasuke-kun must still be working," she said as she walked into the kitchen to place the groceries on the table, "considering that he's the Hokage instead of that baka, Naruto; that idiot would have ruined this place for everyone."_

_"__Too bad you ditched such a wonderful man like Blondie, Sugar," said a familiar voice as Sakura turned to see not just Ranamon, but Kazemon and Naruto. The rosette never noticed the world turning dark or her body becoming her young genin self as she was too focused on how Ranamon and Kazemon were seductively holding onto Naruto._

_"__You call him a baka but you're the baka for letting such a man like him go so easily," said Kazemon while Naruto and Ranamon were kissing, "That moody Uchiha could never match _our_ Naruto-kun." It was then Kazemon's turn to be kissing Naruto as the blond began to caress the fairy._

_"__You only ditched Naruto-kun because he was dead weight," Ranamon taunted towards Sakura as she pressed herself against Naruto, "but Blondie is not only a strong man…but he is a wonderful lover!"_

_Sakura closed her eyes and shook her head to erase the image but when she opened her eyes, Sakura soon found herself in a hallway._

_"__Hello?" Sakura called out as her voice echoed through the path as did her footsteps._

_*ker-THUD!*_

_*ker-THUD!*_

_Sakura looked around in order to find the source of the noise, but she was unable to pinpoint where it was._

_*ker-THUD!*_

_*ker-THUD!*_

_Sakura began running down the hall, taking turn after turn as the noise was somehow following her._

_"__Please," Sakura begged as she continued to flee, "leave me alone!" _

_*BOOMPH!*_

_Sakura fell to the floor to see that she had accidentally ran into a door that stood ominously before her._

_*ker-THUD!*_

_*ker-THUD!*_

_*ker-THUD!*_

_Sakura stood up as the noise was somehow louder and she saw that it was coming from the door. Carefully placing her ear against the door, Sakura tried to listen to what was on the other side._

_*ker-THUD!*_

_*ker-THUD!*_

_*~moan~*_

_*ker-THUD!*_

_*ker-THUD!*_

_Sakura backed away with a small blush forming on her cheeks as she recognized those sounds._

_"__Please don't let this be Mom and Dad again! Please don't let this be Mom and Dad again!" Sakura said as her body reached for the door handle on its own._

_The rosette repeated the mantra with her heart racing as her hand was just inches away before the door exploded open to reveal a set of razor sharp teeth lunge towards her to end her life…_

**_*End Dream*_**

***Tazuna's House***

"KYAAAA!" Sakura screeched, waking Kurenai, Hinata, and Tsunami up in startled fright.

"Sakura, what's wrong!?" said Kurenai as she pulled out a kunai from her pillow, ready to attack despite being in her nightgown. Sakura looked around in a panic before relaxing a bit.

"…just a dream…" Sakura said as she tried to calm her breathing, "Just a horrible nightmare." Kurenai relaxed as she returned the kunai to her pack before returning to Sakura.

"Are you feeling alright?" the woman asked as Hinata and Tsunami had returned to sleep, "You want to talk about it?"

Sakura looked at Kurenai, fear still evident in the rosette's eyes, and asked, "Have…have you ever broken someone's heart so bad that…that it hurts you as well?"

Confused at the question, Kurenai sat next to Sakura and said, "I've had many admirers, but I have never actually been romantically involved that wasn't a mission. Why do you ask?" Sakura hugged her knees as she wanted to tell the woman about her dream…but the dream was all too real to recount without going into a panic.

"It's about what Ranamon had said to you, isn't it?" Kurenai asked as she received a small nod from the girl.

"Yeah…" said Sakura as the girl's words rung in her head, "She told me about how Naruto doesn't see me as a friend and after what had happened during training…I think I'm actually starting to believe that." The rosette mentally chuckled as she remembered how Naruto was orbiting in her life, but now…Sakura felt something empty in her world, something was missing.

"It's almost funny," Sakura said as she thought of what was missing, "you really don't know what you have until it's gone."

Kurenai saw the disheartened look on Sakura's and said, "Why not try and repair what you have broken?"

Sakura looked at the woman with confusion and Kurenai then said, "Just try talking to him instead of insulting or hitting him; pushing Naruto aside for someone else when he needs help won't help as well. From what I've heard about him…I'm surprised he's even still alive or isn't completely insane." Sakura felt a chill as she remembered what Kakashi had said about Naruto being unloved and couldn't help but blame herself for being a part of that.

_I'm going to try and fix this Naruto,_ Sakura thought as she looked out the window towards the night sky, _I promise that I can be a better friend to you._

***Forest***

Morning had arrived as Naruto was fast asleep against a tree, completely unaware of his surroundings and of a feminine figure in a pink kimono approaching him. The figure kneeled next to the sleeping blond and slowly reached their hand towards him.

"Hey," said the figure with a soft voice as they gently shook Naruto's shoulder, "wake up. You're going to catch a cold like that."

The blond slowly woke up to see a young girl next to him with a concerned look on her face.

"…must have over done it last night." Naruto groggily said as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.

"I take it you were training?" the young girl asked as she pointed to the blond's hitai-ate, "You must be a ninja."

Naruto smirked as he said, "You betcha and I'm going to become Hokage one day!" The girl giggled as the blond couldn't help but think that she was really cute.

"That is quite a goal for someone as young as yourself." the girl said with a soft smile as she adjusted the basket in her arms.

"What's with the basket?" Naruto asked as he saw some of the plants and herbs.

"I'm collecting special herbs for my friend," the girl said as she looked at the field that was surrounded by the trees, "he's injured and the herbs around here can help him with his recovery. Care to help me?"

The blond nodded as he helped the girl pick herbs with AncientTroiamon guiding him. This continued for a little while until the girl looked at him.

"Is there someone you wish to protect?" the girl asked out of the blue, surprising Naruto due to the suddenness of the question.

Naruto thought for a moment on the question asked of him. He never had anyone for such a long time. No parents. No siblings. No one but himself.

But that had changed over time as the Ichiraku's, the Sandaime Hokage, Iruka, Konohamaru, Shino, and a few others had entered his life. Even the Legendary Warriors had become a part of his life with their wisdom and guidance along with become something sort of like a family.

"Yeah…" Naruto said as a true smile formed on his face, "Yes, I do have people that I want to protect."

The girl smiled as she said, "That's good. When someone has something important to protect, that is when they become truly strong. I am willing to do everything that I can to help my friend achieve his dream as he had saved me from a terrible life. I own him so much, so it is only right that I help him with his dream."

The girl soon stood up and said, "Thank you for helping me. These should be of great help."

Naruto watched the girl walk away until she stopped.

"Oh and by the way…" the girl said without looking at the blond, "…I'm a boy."

Naruto froze in absolute shock as the young boy had vanished into the thick forest.

_I can't believe I thought HE was cute!_ Naruto thought as a few of the Legendary Warriors chuckled at his small plight.

"While it was amusing," AncientSphinxmon said as he remained stoic, "the young boy is right about true strength."

_You mean about having someone precious to me?_ Naruto asked as he thought about the question he was asked.

"Precisely." AncientSphinxmon said as the laughter of the other Legendary Warriors had died down, "As long as you keep the bonds you share with your friends, they shall help you bring out you full power, Naruto."

Said blond nodded as he thought of everyone that he held dear to him.

"There you are Naruto-san." said a familiar voice as Naruto looked to see Shino approaching him, "Your sensei sent me here to check up on you since you didn't return last night."

"Sorry about that," Naruto said with a guilty chuckle, "I must have overdone it with my training."

The duo began to walk through the woods towards Tazuna's house as the refreshing forest scent wafted around them.

"I would like to spar with you, Naruto-san," Shino suddenly said, getting the blond's attention, "or more correctly, with one of your Spirits."

"Isn't this the wrong time to ask for a spar?" Naruto asked as he knew now wasn't a good time for a simple training fight.

"True," Shino said as he suddenly stopped, causing Naruto to stop next to him, "but Kakashi-sensei had told us that he met up with a warrior in red armor that went by the name of Agunimon."

"I know" Naruto said before something donned on him, "If Kakashi-sensei saw Agunimon, then did he…?"

"He never mentioned anything about you, Naruto-san," Shino then said as the blond felt something crawling on his skin, "but I believe that he knew more than what he was leading on."

Naruto saw the two beetles fly off his hand before landing on Shino revealing that they were his Kikaichu Beetles.

"Forgive me for planting a couple of my beetles on you," Shino said a hand up in a peaceful manner, "but know that I was only concerned for you, my friend."

Naruto nodded slowly with a silent thanks towards the Aburame Clan member while at the same time letting Shino know to do something else next time.

"When he mentioned that Agunimon was allied with Ranamon, Sakura jumped at the chance of meeting her by challenging her." Shino then said as Naruto let out a startle sound.

"Why would Sakura do that?" Naruto asked with surprise, "I mean…I expected the teme or Kiba, but Sakura? I really don't know if I should laugh or just be disappointed in her."

"She only said something about asking Ranamon more about you." Shino continued, "However, Kurenai-sensei wants us to be wary as we do not know if Agunimon's group are either with or against us."

"So the only way out of this is to either accept or run away." Naruto said as he stuck his hands in his pockets, "What do you think I should do?"

Shino looked at the blond and said, "It would probably be best to accept because if you run away, you would probably end up dishonoring the Legendary Warriors for not accepting a challenge…no matter how petty the reasons."

Naruto let out a thoughtful hum as AncientGreymon entered his mind.

"Accept their challenge," the Warrior of Fire said, "and let them know that we are allies who are unbound to any village as we search for our clan."

Shino saw the smirk on Naruto's face as the blond then said, "Tell them that I accept the challenge and that a friend of Agunimon and Ranamon will meet them in the forest where my team learned about chakra control."

Shino nodded as a swarm of beetles crawled out of his jacket and formed a copy of Naruto right before said blond.

"We will let them know," Shino said as he motioned to 'Naruto', "I'll also let you know when we are close."

The real Naruto nodded as Shino and the other Naruto left before pondering on which Spirit to use.

"I think…" the blond said with a smirk on his face, "…I should bring a real _spark_ into this fight."

Time had passed as both Team 7 and Team 8 arrived to the designated area where one of Ranamon's friends was to meet them.

"This is the area," Kakashi said as he observed the place, "so where's Ranamon's friend?"

"Maybe they got scared because of what they'll have to face!" Kiba said with a maniac's smirk of confidence.

"That's what you think!" said a voice as it echoed through the forest, alerting all the ninja into a stance.

Before any of them could make a move, an armored figure wearing navy blue armor that made him look like a rhinoceros beetle landed right in front of them after jumping from a tree.

"You must be the Konoha ninjas that challenged us." the figure said as he stood on his feet, giving him a slightly intimidating look due to the shoulder spikes and the large horn on his head, "Name's Beetlemon and I was sent here to fight you guys."

Beetlemon looked at the group and said, "So which of you wants to fight me?"

Sasuke, Kiba, Shino, Naruto, and a reluctant Sakura stepped forward as a means of accepting the challenge.

"Alright," said Beetlemon as he rolled his shoulders, "and to show that I'm a nice guy, I'll let the nice lady go first and I'm only going to use good old fashion hand-to-hand to make things fair."

"I wanted to fight Ranamon," Sakura said as she drew out a kunai, "but I guess I can still get some answers from you."

Beetlemon got into a stance and motioned the rosette to make the first move as he said, "Don't expect a lot of answers as I'm only here for a fight."

No sooner had Beetlemon finished his statement, Sakura rushed forward with a horizontal slash but missed when the android Digimon jumped high into the air. Looking up, Sakura saw Beetlemon stretch out a leg with an ax kick aimed at her and quickly rolled away as Beetlemon missed. Taking advantage of the situation, Sakura went in for a punch aimed at the side of the armored warrior's head. She missed as Beetlemon leaned back and caught her fist by the wrist before tossing her aside into a bunch of bushes nearby.

"You're not much of a challenge." Beetlemon said with his arms crossed as Sakura rushed out to attack him, but missed as he just jumped over her with a twist that allowed him to be right behind Sakura, "Agunimon must have overheard wrong when he learned that you know just enough to get by as a ninja."

Sakura was then given a powerful kick that sent her crashing into a tree, taking her out of commission.

"Here we go," said Beetlemon as he carefully picked the unconscious Sakura and set her up against a tree near the ninjas.

"Why are you being nice?" Kiba asked before getting a scolding growl from Kurenai.

"The challenge was never a fight to the death," Beetlemon began as he stepped back while Hinata tended to Sakura's injuries, "and I'm also to let you know that we are only searching for our lost clan."

"But how does this relate to the dobe?" Sasuke asked, ignoring Kakashi when the jonin placed a hand on his shoulder.

"We believe that Naruto Uzumaki might be a clue as to where our clan is." Beetlemon said as he let out a sigh, "Naruto has certain traits of our clan, so we believe that we might be able to find our clan through him."

"Good luck with that!" Kiba said as he marched towards the android Digimon, "I'm up next!"

Kiba immediately went into his clan's taijutsu stance while Beetlemon went back into his stance before the Inuzuka jumped in for the attack. Beetlemon quickly jumped back to avoid the attack before throwing a punch that hit Kiba in the face. Kiba quickly gave the android Digimon a kick to the head that was blocked when Beetlemon brought his arms up to intercept the attack. Kiba then felt himself being thrown to the side and quickly flipped to avoid rolling on the ground before preventing himself from colliding into a tree.

"You're not a bad fighter," Kiba said with a smirk, "but you're not as fast with that armor on and I have to put in a little more effort into each attack."

"Likewise." Beetlemon said as he smirked under his mask, "You're pretty fast; not as fast as Kazemon or Ranamon, but still fast."

With a quick battle cry, Kiba quickly rushed towards his opponent with an attack ready. Beetlemon however lowered his head and rushed towards Kiba before the two collided as the Inuzuka avoided getting hit in the gut by stepping to the side and grabbing the horn.

What Kiba didn't expect was Beetlemon slamming him into the ground in a suplex-like manner. Beetlemon quickly got up and placed an arm lightly on the Inuzuka's throat, signaling that the fight was over.

"That wasn't a bad fight." Beetlemon admitted as he helped Kiba to his feet and offered a hand shake.

"Yeah," Kiba said with a smile, "I'da probably won if you hadn't used that horn. Can't win them all I guess."

Before anything else was said, Sasuke approached the two and got into his fighting stance.

"Now it's my turn," Sasuke said with fierce determination, "and you're not going to win as easily."

"We'll see about that." Beetlemon said as Kiba went to the sidelines where the others were.

_Alright,_ Naruto thought as he got into a fighting stance, _I really need to be careful here. Sasuke's pretty strong and I can't use any of Beetlemon's powers. Gonna have to wing it this time._

The stood still, waiting for the other to make a move, until Beetlemon rushed in for an attack. Sasuke quickly dodged before giving the android Digimon a powerful punch into the face then giving him a following kick. Beetlemon rolled on the ground before bouncing onto his feet and shook the cobwebs out of his skull.

Quickly taking advantage of the situation, Sasuke rushed towards Beetlemon with a punch ready but missed as the armored warrior jumped back after regaining his senses. Beetlemon quickly used a tree behind him to launch himself into a twist as he was behind Sasuke before grabbing the Uchiha and tossing him to the side.

Sasuke rolled on the ground and got to his feet as the armor warrior rushed him with a powerful kick. The Uchiha was able to block the attack just in time to lessen what could have been a knockout hit, but the power behind the attack had launched him to the side near the others.

_Can't believe I'm winning against the teme this time,_ Naruto thought to himself as he had to contain his excitement from beating Sasuke, _but I need to keep my act together._

_Dammit, I can't lose here!_ Sasuke angrily thought before a new thought occurred to him, _Of course…_

Sakura woke up just in time to see Sasuke create a clone and charge right towards a now surprised Beetlemon.

"What happened?" Sakura asked as she tried to get up, but Hinata gently held her down.

"You and Kiba lost your matches against Beetlemon and now Sasuke is fighting him." Hinata answered as said armored warrior was taking hits that the real Sasuke was giving him.

"I thought we weren't going to use any of this stuff?" Beetlemon said as he got some distance from the two Sasukes, "I didn't use any of that during the last two fights."

"You only agreed to using taijutsu against Sakura, not me." Sasuke said as his clone rushed in for the attack.

Beetlemon quickly punched the clone as it vanished before seeing the real Sasuke taking in a deep breath.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" Sasuke called out as he launched a large fireball toward the armored warrior.

"Guess I have no choice…" Beetlemon said as lightning formed around his fist before the armored warrior pulled it back, "Thunder Fist!"

Everyone watched as the two attacks collided in an explosive force that had covered Beetlemon as he was in the center.

"Beetlemon!" Kakashi and Shino said, both of them with widened eyes.

Sasuke smirked in victory until the flames died down to reveal Beetlemon with his armor covered in burn marks, his gloved hand having more than the rest of him.

"How are you still standing!?" Sasuke demanded with anger in his eyes as he put his all into the attack.

"I used my own power to cancel out your attack," Beetlemon answered as he could feel the heat in his hands, "but I didn't get out unscathed as my hand had to take most of it. I guess I shouldn't hold back anymore."

Before either combatant could act, another fireball was launched into the ground between them, drawing everyone's attention away from the fight.

"Sorry," said a new voice as everyone looked to see a young man in red armor walking towards them from the forest, "but Beetlemon's coming with me."

"A-Agunimon!?" Beetlemon said in pure shock, "What are you doing here?"

"Keeping an eye on you since we are forbidden to use our powers against them since this was supposed to be just hand-to-hand combat." Agunimon said as he approached Beetlemon, "You need to understand how your reckless actions could slow us down in the search for our clan. Now let's go."

"You're not going anywhere!" Sasuke said as he glared at the two warriors, "This fight isn't over!"

With blinding speed, Agunimon suddenly appeared behind the Uchiha and gave him a quick chop to the neck, knocking him out.

"I apologize for that and for Beetlemon," Agunimon said as he handed Sasuke over to Kakashi and Naruto, "but we should go back to our missions before any trouble stirs up."

"How do we know you're not with Gato?" Kurenai asked as she looked at the two armored warriors.

"You can trust us as if we were enemies, our friends would have attacked you during the spars." Agunimon answered as he grabbed Beetlemon's shoulder, "Now if you will pardon us, I need to have a word with Beetlemon."

Kurenai stared at Agunimon before picking up Kiba and Akamaru and led the genin away towards Tazuna's house while Agunimon and Beetlemon went the opposite direction.

The two armored warriors continued walking until Agunimon stopped and turned to face Beetlemon...

_*POW!*_

…only to get a fist into the face by said warrior, knocking him into a nearby tree.

"Alright," Beetlemon said as he generated electricity into his uninjured fist, "who are you really as I know you can't be Agunimon. Now tell me before I decide to reset your heart."

"Very well," said Agunimon before a plume of smoke revealed that he was really Kakashi, "now you see me."

"How do I know you're the real Kakashi?" Beetlemon asked as he still held his electrified fist.

"Kyuubi." Kakashi answered as a small gasp escaped the android Digimon's mouth, "I know you are not the Demon Fox that attacked our home…Naruto."

A bright flash shone as Beetlemon had turned back into Naruto as the blond stumbled onto a knee, holding his still injured hand.

"How…" Naruto asked as he took in a few breaths, "How did you know that was me?"

"I hid behind a tree in order to watch Agunimon before I saw him change into you." Kakashi answered as he helped his student onto his feet, "When did you get this power and why did you keep it a secret?"

Naruto didn't answer as he looked at the jonin with a sharp glare.

"Naruto," Kakashi said as his voice had a firm stance of authority, "answer my question. Do I have to make you?"

Naruto saw his sensei hold his hand to his hitai-ate to show that he was going to use his Sharingan to get the answers he needed.

"You do that," Naruto said as he took a stance of his own, "and you'll have to deal with BurningGreymon and risk everyone's lives."

"You don't have a lot of chakra left," Kakashi said as he held his grip, "so how will you hold up to your threat?"

"I just need to call him out." Naruto said, hoping that Kakashi would buy into the bluff as the Legendary Warriors wouldn't let him willingly bring out the Beasts Spirit's power just yet.

Kakashi looked at his student as a thought entered his mind.

_Have I really pushed him this far?_ the jonin thought as he remembered Minato's disappointed look in his dream.

Kakashi let out a sigh as he let go of his hitai-ate and said, "Alright Naruto, I'm not going to make you tell me any more about your power, but I still would like to know why you're keeping this a secret from your team?"

The blond was silent until he said, "Team? What team? You never really taught us much as you dote all of your time on Sasuke while leaving me on my own! Shino had even told me all the stuff that Kurenai-sensei had taught him and his team. When I was working on the tree climbing exercise, Shino used his beetles to drain some of my chakra to help me get a better grip on control. And what have you done, Hatake_-san_?"

Kakashi hid a cringe at how his student had addressed him as he then said, "I know I haven't taught you much and your father would be ashamed and disappointed in me."

"You…" Naruto asked as he relaxed his stance a bit, "…knew my father?"

Kakashi nodded as he said, "He was my sensei when I was your age and if he saw how I haven't been training you…he would be furious with me as he would forever haunt me."

Seeing the bit of remorse in his sensei's eye, Naruto got out of his stance and said, "I didn't tell you as it's mostly because of what I said earlier and I wasn't sure if I could trust you enough as this needed to be a secret for the moment."

Kakashi nodded as who knows what could happen if this kind of power was leaked out.

"Naruto…" the jonin said as he pulled out a scroll and unrolled it to reveal a lone kanji, "since you are entrusting me with this secret, I think it's only fair that you learn a secret of mine."

Naruto watched as a plume of smoke erupted from the scroll to reveal a familiar mask.

"Inu?" Naruto said in shock as he looked at Kakashi as said ninja placed the mask on his face, "You're Inu?"

Kakashi nodded and said, "Yes Naruto, it is me…Inu."

The sudden rush of information and shock had caused Naruto to give into his fatigue and pass out before Kakashi had caught him.

"I really have a lot more on my hands than I had thought." Kakashi said as he let out a sigh, knowing that he would need to fix the bridge between him and the young boy he saw as a little brother.

_I just need to take things one step at a time…_

**Well, now that Naruto knows that Kakashi doesn't only know about his power, but is also his favorite ANBU, Inu, how will things change? Will Naruto ever learn who his father is?**

**Now for the dream where Sakura saw Naruto with both Ranamon and Kazemon, allow me to point out that it was only a dream and Ranamon and Kazemon both are still Naruto, so sorry, no pairing with either Digimon.**

**Don't forget to rate and review!**

**Ja ne.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Kakashi: Hello, I'm pretty sure you know who I am and you were probably expecting Kotei-san to be here, but his hands are tied at the moment so he sent me here to deliver this little note.**

***takes out an envelope and reads the contents***

**Kakashi: Ryu Kotei does not own Naruto or Digimon.**

"Spirit Fusion!" normal speech

**"Spirit Fusion!"** demon/Inner/Beast Possession speech

_"Spirit Fusion!"_ thought/mind speak

Chapter 6

***Tazuna's House***

Naruto slowly opened his eyes to find that he was back at Tazuna's house as the last thing he remembered was Kakashi revealing that he was Inu.

_Kakashi-sensei must have brought me back,_ Naruto thought as he slowly sat up and saw that his hand was bandaged.

"I sense that your mind is troubled." AncientSphinxmon said from inside the blond's mind, "Is it because you learned that your negligent teacher was once one of the ANBU that protected you when you were younger, or that he now knows of your power and may reveal it after the mission?"

_I…_Naruto thought as he looked at the situation and saw that night had fallen, _think it's because Inu was always so nice to me and Kakashi had never really given me any attention, even if it was to put me down during training._

"I can sense that Kakashi does indeed regret his actions as a sensei, since you are the son of his sensei." AncientSphinxmon said as the blond looked at the moon from the window, "But do not close your heart off to him as that would only cause the darkness in your heart to begin festering into something more sinister. The power of Darkness is one that is not to be taken lightly, Beast Form or not."

_Could you tell me more about the power of Darkness, AncientSphinxmon?_ Naruto asked as he stared at the moon.

"I shall." the Legendary Warrior of Darkness said as he stared at the moon as well, "The Element of Darkness is commonly a misunderstood element as it has been connected to evil many times in the past due to those who use the power of Darkness for their own gain. However it is not so. Both Darkness and Light must coexist together as without Light, Darkness cannot be formed and without Darkness, Light cannot shine through."

_How is that?_ Naruto asked as he took a glance at the other guys' sleeping forms.

"You see Naruto," AncientSphinxmon began, "both Light and Darkness represent two different ideas that actually help each other in the long run. Darkness in not an evil element as it is an extension of the soul for you to learn how to face strife. At times, it is better to avoid the shadows all together and embrace the Light, but there are times where Darkness can be welcoming when the Light's warmth is not enough. But you must take caution though as Darkness can also lead you to destruction and by facing your fears and your personal demons, will you be able to handle the power that the element brings."

_So I must embrace Darkness while keeping it at arm's length?_ Naruto asked as he got a small chuckle from the Legendary Warrior.

"If you look at it that way, then yes." AncientSphinxmon said through his chuckle, "Now, you should get some rest so that you can be ready for what's to come."

_Alright…_Naruto said as sleep was slowly overcoming him, _Goodnight…Jiji…_

The Legendary Warrior smiled as it felt welcoming for the blond to look up to him like that as he said, "Goodnight, my grandson."

***Forest***

A few of days had passed as Teams 7 and 8 had trained in preparations for when Zabuza would attack with Kakashi increasing his team's regimen and team dynamics by pairing each of his students with Kurenai's students. Kakashi's team was able to get to the top of the trees through effort and help since Kakashi had Shino use his Kikaichu Beetles to absorb the team's chakra to help them learn proper control since the Aburame Clan's beetles can absorb chakra.

The past couple of days were also odd for Naruto as Sakura had complimented the blond and even help him during training. She had also changed the bandages on his hand when they needed to be an applied some of the burn ointment Hinata had packed.

Naruto was still shocked about what Sakura had done afterwards…

_Flashback_

**_*Tazuna's House*_**

_Naruto had looked at his hand and carefully flexed it after Sakura had changed the bandages._

It shouldn't be too long until my hand's healed,_ Naruto thought as he didn't see Sakura looking at him, _no more than a few hours at most.

_ "__Hey Naruto…" Sakura said, grabbing the blond's attention._

_ "__What is it Sakura?" Naruto asked, noticing how his teammate was looking away._

_It was silent until the rosette let out a small sigh and looked at Naruto._

_ "__I…" Sakura began as she tried to gather her courage, "I want to apologize…for everything."_

_ "__What do you mean?" Naruto asked as he carefully place a hand on Sakura's forehead, "Are you alright?"_

_Sakura moved her teammate's hand off of her forehead as she said, "I'm alright Naruto…it's just…after Ranamon helped us with Zabuza, I had asked her if she knew Kazemon and I had also asked about you. I told her that I was worried about my friend, but she asked me if I really did care since Kazemon must told her what I had said about you. I told her that I didn't want to lose another friend, but Ranamon had told me that you don't see me as a friend like you used to and how I would hurt you instead of just talking to you. She probably had sent Beetlemon knowing that I did call her a hag and didn't want to really hurt us because of a grudge."_

_ "__I then had a dream a few days ago," Sakura continued as she swallowed down a bit of fear that had gathered in her throat, "I dreamed that Sasuke had become Hokage and I was married to him. It was great until I saw you…making out with both Kazemon and Ranamon."_

Somehow that sounds weird,_ Naruto thought with hidden confusion, _although I can see that if both of them weren't me.

_Sakura began to tremble as she said, "You three then vanished as I soon found myself in a dark hallway with a loud banging sound echoing through the place. I ran through the darkness until I hit a door where the sound was coming from. I went to open the door and when I grabbed the handle…the door was ripped open as a bunch of razor sharp teeth came straight towards me."_

_ "__Then what happened?" Naruto asked with concern for his teammate._

_ "__I woke up and screamed." Sakura said as the memory of nearly getting bitten by those teeth, "I must have woken everyone up as Kurenai-sensei was ready to fight. I couldn't tell her about my dream, but even so, she concluded that it had to involve what Ranamon had said to me."_

_ "__The point that I'm trying to get…" Sakura began before wrapping her arms around Naruto, letting out a few tears and sobs, "I'm sorry…I'm so sorry about how I treated you.*sob* Kakashi-sensei told us about the miserable life you had and…*sob*…and I treated you so badly for just wanting some love. I was so rotten to you for hitting you and belittling you for the most dumbest of reasons. *sob* Could you ever forgive me? I don't want to lose you as a friend!"_

_Naruto didn't know what to do as Sakura had never done anything like this to him. On one hand, Sakura was HUGGING him and BEING nice to him, but on the other hand, Sakura had always hit him for just trying to talk to her, belittling him for not being as great as Sasuke, and even calling him dead weight._

_ "__Forgive her."_ _AncientGreymon said as his voice echoed in Naruto's mind, "Can you hear and sense the sorrow from her actions right now?"_

I was honestly unsure when she was being nice to me and helping me,_ Naruto admitted to the Legendary Warrior of Fire,_ but now it makes sense…but should I really forgive her that easily?

_"__Not necessarily." AncientSphinxmon said as Sakura was still crying into the blond's shoulder, "While she knew her actions were not right, she still should have learned more about you just by talking to you. Let her know about what her actions had done between you and her, but do not completely forgive her as she needs to earn back your trust."_

_Naruto thought for a moment about what to do as this could change a lot depending on what he chooses._

_Sakura was about to let go when she felt arms being wrapped around her and saw the Naruto was hugging her._

_ "__Sakura…" Naruto began with an even tone, "I want you to know that while I am going to forgive you for some of the things you have done to me, you need to work really hard if I can consider having you as a friend again. You've hurt me so many times and even though I did deserve a few of those punches you had given me, I couldn't let them go as all of it could have been avoided if you and Sasuke had given me the time to let the both of you learn more about me."_

_The two let go of each other as Sakura saw a rare serious tone on Naruto's face._

_Seeing the shocked look on the rosette's face, Naruto then said, "While I am giving you this second chance, I need you to remember that all actions have consequences, both good and bad, and they can be pretty drastic. I still care about you, Sakura, but I need you to show me that you and I _can_ be friends…please don't mess this up because I really don't want to lose any of my friends at all."_

_Sakura smiled as she wiped the tears off of her face, knowing that she was given a very rare and powerful gift: a second chance._

_Flashback End_

***Forest***

Naruto chuckled as he was resting after his spar with Kiba and Sasuke with Hinata as his partner.

_I may be taking a chance and it could take a while,_ Naruto thought as he took a sip of water from his canteen, _but I really do hope that Sakura can still be my friend._

Naruto then began to think back to yesterday when he was training with his powers. He could use basic jutsus and the Shadow Clone Jutsu with his Spirit Forms even though using jutsus would burn more chakra and shorten his time limit, but the blond was still having trouble using chakra as Agunimon while he didn't have much difficulties as either Kazemon, Ranamon, or Beetlemon.

_I was able to increase the time limit thanks to Shino and Sakura,_ Naruto thought with slight victory in his mind, _Now if only if I could figure out what's wrong with Agunimon._

"Alright, break time's over." Kakashi said as he looked at his team, "Team 7 is to stay here with me while Team 8 shall go and help Tazuna and his family."

After Kurenai's team left, the cycloptic jonin took out three scrolls and handed each one to his students.

"I know we don't have a lot of time left," Kakashi said as he stood before his students, "but I'm giving you a jutsu for you to learn in preparations for what could happen. Inside you will find information on a jutsu that I want you to learn as best as you can. Go ahead and open them and read what jutsu you have."

The three genin opened their scrolls and read what jutsu they have.

"Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu." Sakura said as she remembered that jutsu being used on Sasuke and Naruto during training sessions.

"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough Jutsu." Naruto said as he looked a bit at the writing in his scroll.

"Fire Style: Ash Clone Jutsu." Sasuke said with a slight scowl at getting a Clone jutsu.

"The jutsus I had given you should help you with not just this mission, but any future missions or battles you will go through." Kakashi began as he motioned for his students to back away as he was going to demonstrate the jutsus given.

"I'll start off with Naruto's jutsu." Kakashi said as he brought his hands together, "Great Breakthrough is a strong C-rank jutsu that creates a gust of wind that varies on how much power is put into the jutsu and who uses it."

"Tora-Ushi-Inu-U-Mi!" the jonin said as he went through the seals, "Wind Style: Great Breakthrough Jutsu!" Kakashi threw his palm towards a nearby tree as a gust of wind was launched before hitting the tree with a powerful slam.

"Woah…" Naruto said as he and his teammates stared in awe at the demonstration.

"You can use this jutsu to either gain distance from your opponent, do some damage, or even ambush the target." Kakashi said as he brought his hands together again, "Now for Sasuke's jutsu."

"Tora-Uma-Hitsuji-Tora!" the jonin called out as he took in a breath, "Fire Style: Ash Clone Jutsu!" Kakashi let out his breath as a cloud of ash flew from his mask before forming into him.

"The Ash Clone is a very useful jutsu as you can use it to blind your opponents through converting chakra into fire and ash." Kakashi said as his Ash Clone crumbled away before being replaced by another Ash Clone, "You can even use ashes that are around you, but that is only if there are ashes present, such as a campfire or even a burning building. Now for one of my favorite jutsus."

"Mi-Tatsu-Inu-Mi!" Kakashi said as he vanished, "Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu!" The Ash Clone was soon pulled into the ground with only his head out as the real Kakashi appeared out of the ground nearby.

"This jutsu allows you to trap your opponents into the earth as you drag them from underneath." Kakashi said as he dusted himself off while the Ash Clone crumbled away, "This allows you to interrogate or attack your opponent as they cannot defend themselves if they're trapped like this. I want you to study the contents of the scroll I had given you and practice the seals for them. If you need help, you can ask either me or your teammates."

Naruto and Sakura went to different spost and studied their scrolls in order to understand the jutsu better while Sasuke stood before Kakashi with a scowl on his face.

_This would be perfect for Kazemon as she's the Spirit of Wind,_ Naruto thought as he looked over the scroll before practicing the seals,_ Might go great with Tempest Twist._

"Why do I get a stupid clone jutsu while they get better jutsus?" Sasuke demanded as he threw the scroll down.

"Listen Sasuke," Kakashi began as he looked at said Uchiha, "when it comes down to a contest, a clone jutsu can be the most powerful and the most resourceful of jutsus. In fact, even I had to use a few clone jutsus to gain the advantage over my opponents, just like with my fight against Zabuza."

"But what about that girl, Ranamon?" Sasuke asked as he remembered the water fairy, "I didn't see her use a clone jutsu but instead used other two jutsus."

"She probably didn't use a clone jutsu because she either didn't need to," Kakashi explained, "or she was trying to reserve her chakra. For her one jutsu to drain Zabuza of his energy through water must have taken a lot of chakra to overpower water that has been enhanced by jonin-level chakra."

"So she could be as powerful as a Kage?" Sasuke asked as the hair on the back of his head bristled in fury.

"I can't say for sure as only a sensor-type ninja could really tell you about how strong Ranamon, or any of her friends for that matter, are." Kakashi answered honestly while thinking about just HOW powerful Naruto could be with any of those forms…or with BurningGreymon, "They could be Kage-level or they could even be at a really high jonin-level, we wouldn't really know. So don't worry about it as they are our allies and don't think we've forgotten what you did during your match with Beetlemon."

Sasuke growled as Kakashi then said, "I believe a suitable punishment would be for you to do a set of 50 push-ups, sit-ups, squats, punches, kicks, on both left and right hands and feet, pull-ups, and, because I'm feeling a bit lenient at the moment, laps on the tree walking exercise."

"What!?" Sasuke yelled out in fury.

"Be glad that I'm going to give you a short break after each set AND after an hour of studying your new jutsu." Kakashi said with authority in his voice before raising his visible eyebrow, "Or would you rather those sets now and save your new jutsu for _after_ your punishment."

Letting out an angered growl, Sasuke moved to a different part of the forest and sat down as he read the contents of the scroll.

"Remember," Kakashi called out to Sasuke, "you only get one hour of studying."

In a different part of the forest, Sakura was looking over the jutsu she was given and was a little off put with having to travel through dirt before she remembered about what Beetlemon had said during her match with him.

"I know just enough to get by…" Sakura said to herself as she looked back at how her two teammates performed in the past, "Sasuke possesses both brains and skills as he can perform such an advanced jutsu, an elemental jutsu for that matter, and Naruto, while he can be a bit reckless and brainless at times, is surprising and with him being able to create so many SOLID clones while not even being able to create a normal clone. The sheer number of them he used along with what he and Sasuke had done with our fight against Zabuza. Who would have thought Naruto, the same class clown who loved pranking more than being a ninja, could be like that?"

Realization soon donned on the rosette: just who is Naruto? Was the blond really just as smart, or even smarter than Sasuke or Shikamaru? Was Naruto hiding his true power in favor of entertainment? Could the Naruto that everyone sees be a fake while the real Naruto be some sort of maniac or even…

"What am I thinking?" Sakura said as she shook her head, "This is Naruto Uzumaki you're thinking about; the very same Naruto who painted the Hokage Monument in…broad…daylight…"

Rolling up her scroll, Sakura stood up and walked through the forest as she said, "Maybe I should check up on him…"

**"****You're really overthinking this."** Inner Sakura spoke as she had looked at some of the ideas inside the rosette's skull, **"I mean, Naruto having a few screws loose, yeah I can believe that, but him secretly being an ANBU? Even Naruto would say that's completely farfetched!"**

_I still need to check up on him,_ Sakura thought as she soon saw a flash of light in a different area of the forest and began running towards the source.

There she found Agunimon standing as he was surrounded by trees that were missing some bark. Sakura quickly hid behind a nearby bush and watched the armored warrior sit down in a meditation pose with his hands in a seal.

"Let's see if I can do this." Agunimon said as he closed his eyes and let out a small breath.

_What is he doing?_ Sakura thought as she remained still as to not alert the warrior from his meditations.

Time had passed as nothing had happened until Agunimon grabbed his head in pain and began to roll around on the ground.

"Agunimon!" Sakura called out as she rushed out of the bush and towards the downed warrior until she felt a powerful Killing Intent within the air, freezing her where she stood.

Agunimon's eyes opened to reveal that they were glowing red and when his mouth opened, his teeth were razor sharp.

**"****You seriously thought that someone like YOU could try to tap into MY power?"** Agunimon said with a low voice that was possessed by a growl, **"You don't even have a splinter's chance in the deepest parts of Hell if I could let the likes of you use this power! Once I take control and erase you, I will destroy ALL who shall stand in my way!"**

Sakura stood in fear as she watched the armored warrior writhe in pain until the Killing Intent began to shift uncontrollably.

"No…" Agunimon said with his voice sounding normal, "I…won't let you…take…control!"

**"****Give it up!"** Agunimon said with the low growl in his voice, **"You never even stood a chance as your natural element keeps you from doing so!"**

Sakura watched in both fear and confusion as the armored warrior was arguing with himself while he was unaware of the ever shifting Killing Intent in the air.

_I have to do something!_ Sakura thought as Agunimon let out a pained roar, _but what?_

Agunimon then got to his feet, but he was still holding his head in his hands that were now sharp, tri-clawed talons.

"GYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAA!" the warrior screamed out as flames were bursting out from under his armor while a long red tail grew from behind him.

Sakura then found her courage as she tightened her fists and charged straight for Agunimon. The rosette jumped and rolled to the side as she avoided the wildly swing tail while bright orange wings erupted from Agunimon's back.

**"****Once I rip control over this body out of your pathetic hands,"** Agunimon said with his possessed voice, **"I'll devour this little 'heroine' first before going for your village and slaughter EVERYONE IN IT!"**

"NO! I WON'T LET YOU!" Agunimon then said with his normal voice before he saw Sakura nearby, "S-Sakura…run! Get…Get out of here!"

"I'm not going to run away!" Sakura said as she stood her ground, "I'm not going to stand by while I'm the only who can help you! Now I need you to hold still!"

Agunimon's eyes were now glowing red, signaling that whatever he was fighting for mental dominance returned. Sakura quickly made a couple clones that charged towards the warrior before charging herself. Agunimon slashed at one of the clones before a plume of smoke revealed it to be a destroyed log. Another Sakura jumped on the winged warrior's back and held her grip while Agunimon tried to use sheer might to toss her off. Seeing how Sakura was holding on, the warrior used his new wings to leap high into the air before slamming his back onto the ground with an earthshattering slam, sandwiching the rosette between him and the ground.

The possessed warrior then looked to see yet another Sakura rush towards him with a kunai at the ready. Agunimon quickly got to his feet and stabbed the rosette clear through with his clawed hand before lifter her up in the air. Sakura looked at the armored warrior before smirking as she exploding into a plume of smoke that revealed her to be a log.

_*kra-shatter!*_

"Earth Style," Sakura said as she was underground, "Headhunter Jutsu!"

After a quick substitution jutsu, Sakura was now standing over the possessed Agunimon as she was breathing heavily while the warrior was trying to free himself from the ground.

"Sakura!" said Kakashi as he, Sasuke, and Team 8 rushed towards said girl.

"Hey is that Agunimon?" Kiba asked as he saw said warrior thrashing around, "What's wrong with him?"

"My guess is that he was trying to tap into BurningGreymon's power." Kakashi said while Agunimon was finally able to bust out of the ground as he was now nearly three times Kakashi's size and his armor was a shade of blood-red, "It must be trying to control Agunimon for dominance!"

"Naruto to the rescue!" roared a voice as an army of Narutos rushed towards the possessed Agunimon and tackled him into a massive dogpile.

**"****I'm gonna rip you pathetic little beetles off and burn you into nothing but ashes!"** Agunimon roared as he swiped at the Narutos, causing them to vanish in plumes of smoke.

Seeing the sheer number of Narutos on him, the possessed warrior then took to the sky and flew off in a different direction while tossing some of the Narutos off plummeting to their doom. Agunimon then suddenly fell down towards the ground along with a lone Naruto, both of them vanishing in the trees as a bright light was briefly seen.

"Naruto!" everyone called out as they rushed towards where the two had crashed, but when they had arrived, there was a small indent in the ground with an unconscious Naruto in the middle.

Kurenai rushed and placed her fingers on the blond's wrist before letting out a sigh of relief as she said, "He's just unconscious, but he'll live."

"Where's Agunimon?" Sasuke asked as he looked around, expecting said warrior to jump out and attack them.

A small beetle flew from Naruto's jacket and landed on Shino's finger as the Aburame looked at it.

"It appears that one of the beetles I had implanted on Naruto saw that Agunimon was able to regain control of his body thanks to Sakura's and Naruto-san's efforts." Shino stoically said as the small beetle retreated into his jacket, "Agunimon would have given us his thanks for helping him, but he desperately needed his rest as it took a lot of energy to wrestle control away from BurningGreymon."

Kiba and Shino lifted the unconscious Naruto as everyone left the area and headed towards Tazuna's home.

Kurenai remained silent as she had seen past Shino's ruse of using a transformation jutsu on his beetles, disguising each of them as Naruto, and having them fight Agunimon. She had also noted that Shino was also just as worried, if not even more worried than Kakashi was when Beetlemon was hit by Sasuke's Fireball Jutsu.

Even though the Aburame Clan can be as stoic as Hyugas made of stone, a twelve-year-old child is still readable to the Genjutsu Mistress.

_I'll figure out what's going on here,_ Kurenai thought to herself as Sakura was recounting everything that had happened to Kakashi, _and I'm willing to bet that Naruto and Kakashi are in on this secret as well._

**I am back! Thanks for taking care of the disclaimer, Kakashi.**

**Kakashi: No problem. Ja ne.**

***poof***

**Now then...Will Kurenai discover the secret that Naruto, Kakashi, and her own student are hiding? And what was Naruto trying to do that nearly caused BurningGreymon to take control? Don't forget to rate and review!**

**Ja ne.**


	7. Chapter 7

**I do not own Naruto or Digimon.**

"Spirit Fusion!" normal speech

_"Spirit Fusion!"_ thought/mind speak

**"Spirit Fusion!"** Demon/Beast Possession speak

Chapter 7

***Mindscape***

Naruto was on the floor of his mindscape before opening his eyes and slowly pushing himself up.

"Wha…" Naruto asked as he was sitting on the floor in a slight haze, "What happened?"

"BurningGreymon tried to take control when you had approached him." AncientGreymon said as the other Legendary Warriors had surrounded the blond ninja, "He must have used the moment you contacted him to try a possess you."

"What were you thinking!?" AncientKazemon cried as she grabbed Naruto, "You're not yet ready to face a Beast Spirit!"

"…sorry…" Naruto said as he sadly looked away as he couldn't take AncientKazemon's eyes shining with tears.

The Legendary Warrior of Wind tightly hugged Naruto as the blond then returned the hug.

"We should consider ourselves lucky that Shino was around with his chakra-eating beetles," AncientBeetlemon said as he crossed his arms, "or else everyone could have been destroyed."

AncientGreymon lowered his head to Naruto's level and said, "Do you now understand why the Beast Spirits are out of your hands?"

"I thought I could just talk to him…" Naruto said as he let go of AncientKazemon and faced the giant dragon, "…guess I badly failed, huh?"

"True you did not succeed with what you had planned," the Legendary Warrior of Fire said with a tone of wisdom and understanding, "but do not look at this as a complete failure. You now had a taste of the Beast Spirit's raw power and now possess the knowledge and willpower to try and better yourself should you try and tap into the Beast Spirit's power again. I am also to blame for risking the lives of your comrades as I should have anticipated just how much BurningGreymon would fight for control. I only allowed that to happen so that you can understand just how power any Beast Spirit could be."

"We are still going to make sure that we know you are ready to try and converse with the Beast Spirit." AncientMegatheriumon said as he looked at the blond, "We do not want a repeat of what had happened yesterday."

"Yesterday?" Naruto asked the ram in confusion, "How can that be?"

"You burned off a lot more chakra than before," AncientWisetmon began as the blond looked at him now, "meaning that you were using even more chakra to just wrestle BurningGreymon for control. Then add the Kikaichu Beetles Shino had used on you had also drain more chakra from you, leaving you with barely a sliver of chakra left."

"Your Uzumaki Body should allow you to recover enough chakra for when Zabuza is scheduled to attack," AncientGarururmon said as a soothing sensation was soon over the blond, "but for now, rest as you will need whatever strength you shall gain."

Naruto smiled as AncientKazemon hugged him lovingly while she gently rocked him back and forth as fatigue suddenly took its toll on him.

"Good night…" Naruto sleepily said as he looked at the Legendary Warrior of Wind with a small smile, "…Ma…ma…"

_He called me 'Mama'!_ AncientKazemon thought with surprise as the blond then vanished into a dream, _He called me….Mama!_

The Bird Woman remembered how AncientSphinxmon told her and the others how Naruto had called him Jiji and she and AncientMermaimon were happy for the ever stoic cat. Even though it hasn't been real long since they all had met the blond, the Legendary Warriors saw Naruto as a member of their little family and with Naruto calling her and AncientSphinxmon Mama and Jiji…it showed just how their bond had evolved!

"Goodnight," AncientKazemon whispered to herself with a smile under her mask, "my little child."

**_*Dream World*_**

_Sasuke watched helplessly as a young man with a cold and stoic face stood over the Uchiha's parents with a bloodied sword. What made this man more intimidating were the two Sharingan eyes that ominously lit up his stone face._

_"__Your hatred is still as weak as ever." the man calmly said, sending a chill down Sasuke's spine, "How do you ever hope to kill me with such weak hate."_

_"__I'll show just HOW strong I am!" Sasuke roared out as he rushed towards the man, but was stopped as the man grabbed the Uchiha by his neck and lifted him into the cold night air._

No!_ Sasuke thought in fear as he remembers what happens next in this haunting dream,_ Not again!

_Before whatever the man had planned, a small hand had pierced his chest as behind him was a small boy with golden blond hair and ten wings, two of them resting on the side of his head, and light purple tattoos wearing a white robe._

_"__You shall never haunt this boy again." the boy said with a pure voice as the man was soon atomized in a bright light._

_Sasuke fell to the ground before seeing the young boy hold out a hand in a kind gesture._

_"__Who are you?" Sasuke asked as he let the boy help him to his feet, "I don't remember seeing you around the village."_

_"__I am just a kindred spirit, Sasuke Uchiha," the boy said with a small, friendly smile, "but you may call be Ribenji."_

_Ribenji then pulled out a small orb from his robe and said, "I am here to give you a gift from the one you call Kami. When the time is right, it shall awaken for you and protect you while giving you the power to face any foe."_

_"__Even him?" Sasuke asked as he still wanted to kill THAT man._

_"__Yes," Ribenji said as his pale blue eyes shone through the darkness of the surrounding night, "even _him_…your own brother."_

_Sasuke delicately took the orb before Ribenji helped him push it inside his chest as a burning rush enveloped the Uchiha's body._

_"__I wish that I could stay and help you," Ribenji said as he slowly began to fade, "but I must get back to my world, but do not worry. We shall meet again in the future."_

_Sasuke let out a scream of pain after Ribenji had completely vanished from his sights before darkness soon overwhelmed him._

**_*End Dream*_**

***Tazuna's House***

"Guh!" Sasuke choked out as he woke up from his dream to see that he was still in the guys' room with Kakashi and Shino resting near Naruto.

It had been a whole day since their encounter with Agunimon and Naruto was out like a light after facing the possessed warrior. What bothered Sasuke about that day was that Naruto could create a legion of SOLID clones and still have energy left to spare, but Naruto was out for a whole day due to chakra exhaustion; things didn't add up.

Thinking on that dream, Sasuke thought about what he had witnessed and the burning feeling in his chest was actually still there.

_Was it a dream?_ the Uchiha asked himself as he placed a hand over his chest where that orb of light was placed inside of him, _It…It couldn't be…could it?_

Deciding to wait until tomorrow to figure out the answers, Sasuke had gone back to sleep as he needed to become stronger so he could kill that man…Itachi Uchiha…his own brother.

***Forest***

Team 8 were preparing for when Zabuza would return tomorrow and they HAD to be ready if the swordsman did return. However…

"Kiba, Hinata." Kurenai said as she got her students' attention, "I'm going to have a talk with Shino, but I want the both-"

_*ruff!*_

"I mean the three of you to keep training." Kurenai said after correcting herself as she and Shino went to a different part of the forest.

"Wonder what's going on?" Kiba asked aloud as both teacher and student vanished into the trees.

"I don't know." Hinata answered with a worried look, "Do you think it involves Naruto-kun? He still hasn't woken up yet."

"I know what ya mean." Kiba said as he crossed his arms in thought, "I've always known the knucklehead to have enough energy to run around the entire village a hundred times and still have energy to spare. So when are you gonna tell him?"

Seeing the smirk on her teammate's face, Hinata blushed as she stuttered out, "I-I-I d-d-don't know. I really c-c-couldn't!"

"Oh come on Hinata," Kiba said as he held his arms out, "now that Naruto isn't going after Sakura, you can get him to notice ya! You can even ask Kakashi to…help bathe Naruto while he recovers, if ya know what I mean."

Hinata's face turned completely red before the young girl passed out from the many perverted thoughts running through her head as her nose began to bleed.

"Uh crap…" Kiba said as he face palmed at his teammate's reaction, "I guess I shouldn't have pushed it."

A small growl was heard from Akamaru as gave his human partner a deadpanned look towards the statement.

With Kurenai and Shino, the woman stood before the Aburame with a questioning look on her face.

"What is it that you wish to talk to me about, Kurenai-sensei?" Shino asked stoically as he looked at his teacher, "Was it about how I had threatened Sakura some time ago?"

"No." Kurenai said as she placed her hands on her hips, "This is about Agunimon and what had happened that day."

"As Beetlemon had told us," Shino began calmly, "he and the rest of their friends are looking for their lost clan and they believe that Naruto-san could help lead them to their clan."

"I knew that those Naruto clones were your own beetles under a transformation." Kurenai said as her ruby eyes shone in the light with an intimidating appeal, "I've been highly trained in genjutsu and I can see the slightest detail out of place. Also, if Agunimon did leave like how your beetles have told you, there would be evidence of his footprints or a trail that would lead us to him…There were none at all."

Kurenai saw Shino's shoulders rise up a bit and knew that she had found something as she then asked, "So what is all this about and why does it involve Naruto."

Shino was silent for a little while until he said, "I do not wish to share any of my friends' secrets."

"But what if this could jeopardize the mission?" Kurenai countered as she hardened her eyes, "With what happened with Agunimon and the amount of Killing Intent that he had, what if it happens again and he goes completely berserk? You're risking everyone's lives, Shino!"

Shino's silence had then became unnatural as Kurenai then closed her eyes and sighed in reluctance.

"Alright," the woman said as she opened her now softened eyes, " I'm not going to push any further, but if Agunimon should appear and somehow jeopardizes everyone's lives, then we _will_ talk about this."

"Understood, Sensei." Shino said before watching Kurenai leave the area towards his teammates.

The Aburame's head then slightly fell as he then said, "That was too close. But I know she will want to talk to me again should anything like Agunimon nearly going wild happen again. I do not wish to betray Naruto-san's trust, but I may have no choice as Kurenai-sensei brings up strong and valid points. We _are_ risking the lives of our client, innocent lives, and the lives of our friends."

Bringing a hand to face level, Shino looked at the beetles crawling on him as he asked, "What should I do? I know that Naruto values trust and friendship much higher than anything else and I respect him for holding the Kyuubi at bay along with Great Beetle-sama, but I also know that should BurningGreymon, or any of the other Beast Spirit that Naruto-san should possess and cannot control, make their appearance…"

After the beetles retreated back into Shino's jacket, the young Aburame looked towards the sky and said, "Please wake up soon, Naruto-san. I am unsure of what I should do."

***Tazuna's House***

Naruto slowly opened his eyes and after adjusting them to the light, the blond saw that he was alone.

"Where is everybody?" Naruto asked himself until he heard voices outside and took a look to see two thugs standing at the docks nearby with one of them holding Tsunami while the other one getting ready to throw Inari into the water.

With Inari, he struggled as he tried to get himself free and save his mother but the thug had too tight of a grip to let him escape.

"Hope you know how to swim." the thug said until a kunai flew by him.

"Eat this you bastards!" Naruto called out as he had a few Shadow clones with him.

Inari was dropped onto the docks and was able to crawl to where the other thug had placed his mother before watching Naruto fight the two thugs. The fight ended pretty quickly as Naruto had used Shadow Clones disguised as shuriken to strike both of them with powerful haymakers to the top of their heads, knocking them out quickly.

"Well that was weak." Naruto commented as his clones disarmed the thugs and tied them together before the original looked at Inari and Tsunami who was slowly regaining consciousness, "You guys okay?"

"Yes…thanks." Tsunami weakly said as she rubbed the cobwebs out of her head.

"You were SO awesome!" Inari cheered as he hugged Naruto, "Thank you so much!"

Naruto smiled brightly as he said, "No problem! It's what I do!"

Inari let go of the blonde and guiltily said, "I'm really sorry about what I had said to you when you first arrived here. Your sensei had told me a bit about your life and…"

Naruto gently placed a hand on the young boy's shoulder and said, "Don't worry about it. My personal secret of how I face the hardships of my life is that I look at all of the positives and keep on smiling to keep up my spirits. True that I can't smile all the time, but I remind myself about all of the good instead of the bad. I also look to my friends if I need any help from them so I'm never alone. You should do the same as I'm sure there's someone in your life that you have always looked up to."

Inari smiled as he thought of the man that he had once thought of as a father and how Kaiza had done so much for him. Inari didn't even know why he fell into that brooding attitude after Kaiza was killed after looking at the negative for so long, but he knew that it wouldn't be right for Inari to become so negative when he had to think of all the good times.

_Thank you Naruto,_ Inari thought as he could almost see Kaiza in Naruto's smile, _Thank you so much!_

"Hey Tsunami," Naruto asked with a stern face, "where's the others that were with me?"

"They're with my father at his bridge." Tsunami answered as she pointed to where bridge would be, "It's not far from here so it shouldn't take too long for you to get there."

"Thanks." Naruto said as he turned around, "Listen…I'm not sure if things would go as planned but your freedom from Gato isn't going to just fall from the sky like a storybook. No. You need to act. Sure Gato may be powerful, but he doesn't have the drive to stay strong forever. So if you want your freedom…you better make sure your drive is strong enough to face down a dragon and never back down! See ya on the flip side!"

And just like that, Naruto ran off towards where Tsunami had pointed while both mother and child watch him vanish into the distance.

"Mom…" Inari said as his voice grabbed his mother's attention. Tsunami looked to find the same stern look that her son had always had, but instead of angst like the many times she had saw that look, this had something new in his eyes: burning resolve.

"Let's go help Naruto!"

***Road***

Naruto ran down the road as fast as he could since today was the day that Zabuza would attack and he needed to get there and fast.

_Now how should I get to the bridge?_ Naruto asked himself as the trees flew by him.

He could take the shortest route by changing into Ranamon and swimming directly towards the bridge and give Zabuza another surprise. The only problem that he saw would be that since Zabuza had fought Ranamon before, the assassin knew about Ranamon's powers. There also wouldn't be a lot of water on the bridge unless Zabuza would fight on water again. Would Naruto take a chance in that?

Another short route would be for Naruto to change into Kazemon and fly towards the bridge, which would also allow him to surprise Zabuza. The problem with that would be if Zabuza used that Hidden Mist Jutsu and the mist was pretty thick with hardly any visibility.

"I'm also sure that would be a good way to counter your sensei's Sharingan." AncientWisetmon spoke up from inside Naruto's mind.

_So that only leaves me Beetlemon and Agunimon._ Naruto thought before realizing that Beetlemon would also be similar to the situation with Kazemon: the ability of flight, but no clear sight.

"Guess I have no choice!" Naruto said as he formed a seal, "Spirit Fusion: Fire!"

A bright light shone as Naruto was now Agunimon and was able to increase his pace thanks to having longer legs and no real bulky armor.

"Hang on guys!" Agunimon said as he rushed towards the bridge, "I'll be there just shortly!"

***Bridge***

Sakura and Kiba and Akamaru were protecting Tazuna while Kakashi, now fully recuperated, and Kurenai were facing Zabuza with Sasuke, Hinata, and Shino facing off against that hunter ninja as Kakashi was right about him being an accomplice.

"How are things going Kiba?" Sakura asked as she had a kunai ready for a possible attack on Tazuna.

"Not good." Kiba answered as he and Akamaru tried to look through the fog, "Can't even see past our noses and both sides are in trouble as I smell blood at both fights."

"Wait a minute!" the Inuzuka said as his nose twitched towards where the fight with the hunter ninja was, "Is that…Naruto!"

"Naruto's here!?" Sakura said with hope at hearing her final teammate was able to make it.

"Yeah but…" Kiba said as to took a close look at the scent, "it also seems like he brought that Agunimon guy with him."

_Agunimon's with Naruto!_ Sakura thought in surprise, _Naruto must have ran into them…but why just Agunimon as the others could help as well?_

Agunimon had just stepped into the thick fog-like mist and tried to look for his friends.

_Dammit!_ Naruto thought as he couldn't even see anything, _I need to find the others, but how?_

Feeling something crawl on his face, Agunimon saw a small beetle flying right in front of his face…it was one of Shino's Kikaichu Beetles!

"Good thing Shino didn't take you with him." Agunimon said with an appreciative smile, "Now can you take me to him?"

As if understanding the armored warrior's question, the small beetle began to fly through the heavy mist with Agunimon following it. It wasn't too long until the warrior saw a dome made of mirrors with Sasuke, Hinata, and Shino getting attacked from all directions by something as needles were jabbed into their bodies.

"Guys!" Agunimon called out as he then saw the hunter ninja look at him from one of the mirrors.

"So you have arrived." the hunter ninja said as the attacked on the three Konoha ninja had stopped, "I must ask you to stop what you are doing and leave. You have no idea what you are getting yourself into."

"Fat chance!" Agunimon said as flames enveloped his fists, "Pyro Punch!"

The Warrior of Fire released a barrage of fireballs from his fists as each of them had hit the mirrors, but to his surprise, none of the mirrors had showed any signs of melting or breaking.

"Please," the hunter ninja said after going through another onslaught of attacks, "I must insist that you surrender right now!"

"That's not going to happen!" Agunimon as his entire body was covered in flames, "Pyro Tornado!"

The armored warrior jumped in the air and spun around, causing the flames to spin around him like a twister, before slamming one of the mirrors with a powerful kick. While what should have completely shattered the mirror, it had only caused a small crack to form, much to the hunter ninja's surprise.

"Looks like your mirrors aren't as tough as you claim them to be." Agunimon said with a smirk on his face, "Pyro…"

_*swish!*_

"…huh?" Agunimon said with confusion as he was suddenly INSIDE of the dome, "How the hell did I get in here?"

"Sasuke how could you!?" Hinata called out as Agunimon looked to see said Uchiha standing outside of the dome, "How could you use a Substitution Jutsu on our own ally!?"

"He did WHAT!?" Agunimon roared in anger and shock before feeling an onslaught of needles being jabbed into his body.

After the onslaught, Shino noticed the hunter ninja distracted by questioning Sasuke on his action.

"Agunimon," Shino began as he ignored the many needles in his body, "you need to use the move that had cracked the mirror before he-"

Shino couldn't finish as another onslaught of needles jabbed themselves into the trio's bodies. The Aburame quickly used his beetles to cover himself and the others in a dome, but the needles were still somehow getting through to them.

Seeing a moment to act, small flames appeared from the warrior's gauntlets as Agunimon took aim.

"Pyro Darts!" the Warrior of Fire called out as he flew his free hand over the flames, launching a barrage of flames towards all the mirrors he could find. The barrage didn't last long as the needles were somehow snuffing out the flames before some of them jabbed themselves into Agunimon's legs, causing said warrior to fall down after hitting certain pressure points.

"I will make this as painless as possible for you." the hunter ninja said before jumping out of the mirror.

Time seemed to move slowly as the hunter ninja charged towards Agunimon, senbon needles ready to end his life.

_So this is it?_ Naruto thought to himself as he could hear his own heartbeat, _Too bad I'll die with a lot of regrets._

Before the attack could land, Hinata and Shino quickly stood between Agunimon and the hunter ninja, bravely taking the fatal onslaught of needles that jabbed themselves deep into their flesh.

"Shino! Hinata!" Agunimon cried out as the attack had ended with said duo falling to the cold concrete.

The warrior pulled himself to the duo and pushed himself up with his arms.

"Why did you guys do it?" Agunimon asked with shocked eyes, "That attack was meant for me…why?"

"Because Aguni-san…" Hinata said with a weakened voice, "you are our friend…you and your friends care so much about Naruto-kun…so that makes us friends."

"She is right…Agunimon," Shino said with labored breath, "Naruto is one of our closest friends and we are willing to protect him."

"Aguni-san…" Hinata asked as she weakly place a hand in the warrior's, "Can you…do something for me?"

"What is it?" Agunimon asked as he held back his tears to the best of his abilities.

"When you see Naruto-kun again, tell him…" Hinata said as her eyes slowly began to close, "…tell him that I…I…love him."

Shock overcame Naruto as he was watching through Agunimon's eyes until Shino placed his own hand in Agunimon's.

"I also wish to tell Naruto…" Shino began as his breathing became heavy, "…that I am glad that…that I became such a…close friend to him. I am…deeply sorry about this…Naru…to…san…"

Both Hinata and Shino became limp as tears were now falling freely from Agunimon's eyes while the hunter ninja and Sasuke watched.

"Have you ever witnessed death?" the hunter asked, getting silence from the warrior, "It is the fate of a ninja…to die in battle before their friends. This is our life."

A small whispered was heard from the warrior as the hunter asked, "What did you say?"

Agunimon then raised his head, reveal glowing blood-red eyes, and said, "I said…sh**ut UP!"**

The hunter ninja and Sasuke watched in awe and fear as a massive flame soon covered Agunimon's body while a massive wave of Killing Intent violently erupted through the area.

"What's going on here?" the hunter asked as the flames soon took on the form of a large dragon, "This Killing Intent! I've never felt such power before!"

With Tazuna, he and his young bodyguards felt the Killing Intent violently rush past them.

"What in Kami's name was THAT!?" Sakura asked as she heard Akamaru whining in fear as the pressure was starting to get to them.

"How the hell should I know!" Kiba said as he was frozen right into the ground in fear.

With Zabuza, the swordsman let out a gasp as he felt the massive Killing Intent slam itself against his body.

"What is this!?" Zabuza asked himself without revealing his location, "This much power couldn't be coming from Kakashi, that woman, OR any of those brats! No human could EVER possess such Killing Intent!"

With Kakashi and Kurenai, the two jonin felt the wave of Killing Intent hit them and making them look towards the source.

"What is this!?" Kurenai asked with fear in her voice, "This can't really be Zabuza or his apprentice! This must be…Agunimon!"

"No Kurenai." Kakashi said as he had a good idea of what was coming, "I believe that he's no longer Agunimon as he had lost control to his more primal beast form…"

Inside the ice dome, the flames that had covered Agunimon had died down and vanished to reveal a large dragon-like creature in blood-red armor with orange, feathery wings and two large spear-like weapons resting on his forearms. The beast's eyes glowed dangerously red from the sheer bloodlust it had as it had its sights on the hunter ninja. The dragon let out another wave of Killing Intent through the form of a threatening and dangerous roar.

"…BurningGreymon."

**Well...things just got real. How will everyone handle the power of the Beast Spirit of Fire, BurningGreymon? Will Naruto regain control? Don't forget to rate and review!**

**Ja ne.**


	8. Chapter 8

**I do not own Naruto or Digimon.**

"Spirit Fusion!" normal speech

_"Spirit Fusion!"_ thought/mind speak

**"Spirit Fusion!"** demon/Beast possession/Inner speak

Chapter 8

***Bridge***

In all his life, Haku had never seen such a sight as the dragon before him.

He had killed other ninja before when the time had actually called for it.

He remembered killing his father when he tried to kill him after finding out about his Kekkei Genkai.

But the dragon before him…was something new…something powerful…something…dangerous.

_Just WHAT is he?_ Haku thought as he couldn't take his eyes off the dragon that was looking dangerously at him.

"What insane power!" Sasuke said as the surrounding mist was surrounded by an orange light and fiery warmth.

**"****I'm finally in control…"** the dragon said with a low, growling voice, **"Now I'll show you REAL fire…the power…of BurningGreymon!"**

BurningGreymon rushed towards one of the mirrors and completely smashed it with on strike of his clawed fist before destroying another with his tail. Haku quickly tried to escape, but he was grabbed by the dragon the moment he jumped from the mirror. Sasuke watched as BurningGreymon slam its captive into the ground multiple times before tossing the hunter ninja to the side with enough force to send the hunter straight through a mirror and have the ninja's body bounce on the concrete like a skipping stone.

With Zabuza, the swordsman decided to open his eyes just in time to see Haku bounce off the concrete and catch him.

"What the hell happened Haku?" Zabuza asked as he wondered just what had happened in his apprentice's fight.

"Zabuza-sama…" Haku said as he slowly and painfully got to his feet, "…we must run!"

Wanting to see just what was going on, Zabuza released the mist jutsu to reveal Tazuna, the Konoha ninja, and finally…

"Is that a dragon?" Zabuza asked as everyone looked to see BurningGreymon walking through a small shower of ice shards, each shard either bouncing or breaking from contact with his armor.

"So that's BurningGreymon." Kakashi said as he steeled himself at the sight of the dragon, "I can't believe just how powerful he looks!"

Kurenai looked past the dragon to see Shino and Hinata…neither of them moving.

_No!_ Kurenai thought in fear at the possibilities of what had happened that led them to their deaths.

Zabuza chuckled as he would actually admit that he felt giddy at the sight of the dragon…BurningGreymon…and we _wanted_ to fight him. Who could say that they had gone toe-to-toe against an ACTUAL dragon and not only lived to tell the tale, but even WON and have its head as a trophy?

BurningGreymon let out a mighty roar that sent a wave of Killing Intent through the area that had also shook the bridge. Zabuza swung the Kubikiribocho and let out a mighty roar of his own in the form of a challenge…one that BurningGreymon gladly accepted as the dragon used his wings to fly towards the swordsman.

Everyone watched in gob-smacked awe as Zabuza jumped towards BurningGreymon before a shockwave exploded when the two clashed in midair. The Konoha ninja, Tazuna, and Haku quickly ran towards where Shino and Hinata were laying in hopes of being safe from not just the battle, but the dragon should he win.

Zabuza quickly used the Kubikiribocho to push himself away in order to avoid a tail swipe from BurningGreymon. When the swordsman landed on the bridge, he had to quickly jump away as the dragon just barely missed him with a mighty punch that created a small crater in the concrete. Zabuza then went in for a slash at the dragon, but BurningGreymon was able to block the attack with one of the spear-like weapons on his forearms acting as a shield.

"You're pretty strong." Zabuza said as he tried to overpower BurningGreymon's defense, "Just what I expected from a dragon. You would make an excellent trophy should I kill you!"

BurningGreymon replied with a loud roar as the other spear-like weapon on his other arm was turned towards the swordsman to reveal a metal barrel underneath.

"Those aren't spears," Haku said in shock and fear, "they're turrets!"

**"****Pyro Barrage!"** the dragon roared out as a barrage of fire bolts shot out of the turret and hit Zabuza at near point-blank range. The swordsman had taken multiple hits before jumping away and using a Water Clone to distract the dragon.

_That power is something else!_ Zabuza thought as he felt the many burn wounds on his body, _And who would have thought that one of those Konoha brats could possess such a power!_

"Agunimon, stop!" Kakashi roared out towards BurningGreymon as he drew the dragon's attention towards him, "Think about what you're doing! How do you think everyone will think of you if you let yourself become out of control like this!"

"Stay out of this, Kakashi!" Zabuza ordered as he charged towards the distracted dragon and slashed BurningGreymon's back with the Kubikiribocho, "This is my fight!"

The armored dragon let out a mighty roar as his attention was returned to the Hidden Swordsman, restarting their mighty clash.

"We need to get everyone out of here!" Kurenai said as she went to get Shino and Hinata before the hunter ninja stood in her way.

"Allow me." said the hunter as he kneeled next to the fallen duo and removed some of the needles from their bodies, "I have never really aimed to kill them, but even so, I have never thought that such a drastic turn of events could happen."

After the last few needles were removed, both Shino and Hinata let out a reviving gasp before going into coughing fits in order to regain their breath.

"So that's…*cough!**cough!*…So that's what death feels like. *cough!**cough!*" Shino said as he slowly picked himself up with Kiba helping Hinata.

"What…" Hinata asked weakly, "What happened?"

"I had placed you two in a death-like state," the hunter said as he then pointed towards where BurningGreymon and Zabuza were fighting, "and your friend had changed into some sort of dragon."

"We have to help him!" Shino said as he tried to get to his feet before Kurenai placed a hand on his shoulder.

"There really isn't much we can do!" the red-eyed jonin said as she watched the battle, "We can't get close enough since that dragon has those turrets!"

With Zabuza, the swordsman jumped away to avoid a swipe from BurningGreymon's claws while performing a series of hand seals.

"Let's see how you handle this dragon!" Zabuza roared out as he stopped on the final seal of his jutsu, "Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!"

From underneath the bridge, a jet of water shot out in the form of serpent-like dragon before reaching where the battle was taking place. Seeing BurningGreymon, the Water Dragon then shot straight towards the armored dragon and violently collided into him. The attack held enough force to push BurningGreymon a good distance until the armored dragon crashed into a nearby crane.

The armored dragon fell down onto a knee as steam was rolling off his body and his breathing was heavy from taking such an attack. BurningGreymon got to his feet and let out a mighty roar to signal that he wasn't defeated yet.

"You're a stubborn bastard, aren't ya?" Zabuza taunted the armored dragon before rushing towards him with a slash ready.

_I have to help Naruto,_ Kakashi thought as he performed a few seals, _even if it means I have to fight him as well!_

Seeing lightning being gathered in Kakashi's hand, Haku knew what the jonin was planning and had to act fast.

"Time for me to use my original jutsu!" Kakashi said lightning was surrounding him as he charged straight towards the two combatants, "Lighting Blade!"

Everything happened so fast as Kakashi had his hand straight through the hunter ninja while BurningGreymon was slicing the Kubikiribocho's blade with one of his sharp claws. The hunter ninja's mask soon fell off to reveal a familiar feminine face that had blood dripping from the mouth.

_It's that boy from the forest,_ Naruto thought as he saw the boy's body slide off Kakashi's arm and fall onto the concrete. The memory of that day entered his mind had then given Naruto the strength to finally fight the Beast Spirit back.

Seeing BurningGreymon back away while grabbing his head, much to everyone's surprise, with Kakashi watching with both anticipating fear and a child-like curiosity.

**"****N-No!"** the armored dragon said as he stumbled around, **"I won't…let you…win…that easily!"**

"Think…again!" the dragon then said with Agunimon's voice before being enveloped in a bright light. The light died down to reveal Agunimon as he had fallen onto his knees and was breathing heavily from exhaustion.

Everyone, save for Kakashi, Zabuza, and the now dead Haku, rushed towards the fallen warrior and helped him onto his feet.

"Thanks." Agunimon said until he saw Hinata and Shino, both of them alive, "Hinata! Shino! You're alive!"

"That's because he had never aimed to kill." Kurenai said as she then saw the armored warrior hug her two students with tears falling from his eyes.

"I'm so glad…that you guys are okay!" Agunimon cried out as he tightened his grip on the two.

"We are glad to be alright as well, but…" Hinata said with slight discomfort as there were still some needles in her body.

"…could you ease up on the hugging?" Shino said bluntly as Agunimon looked to see some of the needles in the two genins' bodies.

"Sorry." Agunimon said with a slight chuckle as he let go of the two, but still glad that they were both alive.

"Haku was always weak," Zabuza said coldly, drawing Agunimon's attention, "and now he's nothing but a broken tool."

"You really don't mean that, do you!?" Agunimon roared out in anger, "He sacrifice EVERYTHING for you!"

"So what?" Zabuza countered, furthering the armored warrior's anger and fury, "He was too soft and too kind to be considered a shinobi."

"You BASTARD!" Agunimon roared out as he approached the swordsman.

"Agunimon, wait…" Kakashi said as he approached the armored warrior in hopes of calming him down and prevent BurningGreymon from returning.

"Outta my way!" Agunimon said as he pushed Kakashi to the side while standing before Zabuza, eyes shining with pure fury. Zabuza looked in the warrior's ice blue eyes and saw a mixture of anger, fury, and…pain.

"You saved him from whatever pit of Hell that he might have fallen into," Agunimon began as he stared deep into the swordsman's eyes, "and THIS is how repay him!? By tossing him aside once he's 'broken'!? He sacrificed so much for a damn bastard like you! He tossed away his dreams, his happiness, and even his LIFE for you! He saw you as someone so dear to him that he would do anything for you just to make you proud and happy of him! He saw you as a FATHER and you just treat him like garbage after he becomes 'useless' to you! I know the dark truth about being a shinobi and if I become strong enough to control my Beast Form, then does that mean I'll become a cold monster like you!? I'd rather lose EVERYTHING I own if becoming stronger means becoming a monster! I don't care if I can never control BurningGreymon as long as I still have my friends!"

The silence was deafening as Agunimon's words had pierced them right through their hearts like arrows.

_Naruto-san,_ Shino thought as he remembered losing his childhood friend, Torune, when he had mysteriously vanished, _I too feel your pain._

_Naruto-kun,_ Hinata thought as she remembered the time the blond had saved her from bullies and how Naruto had also suffered from being alone.

_Naruto…_Sakura thought as she remembered how her teammate had given her a chance at being his friend once more.

Kiba kneeled down to pet Akamaru as the two of them had been through so much that they would do anything for each other while Kurenai thought about how Hinata's father, Hiashi Hyuga, had been treating his own daughter for being weak.

The sound of clapping was heard as a short man wearing a suit and many armed thugs were seen.

"So this is the feared 'Demon of the Mist'?" the short man said before he let out a chuckle, "Good thing I decided to cut you out of the deal."

"Gato…" Tazuna said as he looked at the many thugs with an unimpressed face as compared to BurningGreymon…those thugs were nothing but schoolyard bullies.

"So you're Gato?" Agunimon said as he looked at the man and his thugs, "I honestly thought you'd be more scarier if you weren't a midget."

Gato let out a small growl as he then said, "Let see you making jokes once I kill you!"

Taking the signal, the many thugs began to charge straight towards the ninja and the bridge builder.

"I know I'm pushing it, but here goes!" Agunimon said as he brought his hands into a familiar seal, "Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Multiple plumes of smoke erupted to reveal a handful of Agunimons with some of them looking weak and dead while the original fell to a knee and was breathing heavily.

"Looks like you could use some help." Zabuza said as he glanced over towards Kakashi, "Kakashi, I'll trade you the Kubikiribocho for a couple of kunai…I have a debt to repay."

The silver-haired jonin pulled out a couple kunai and tossed it towards the swordsman as he dropped the broken sword and grabbed the small knives.

Before anyone could act, Zabuza flashed by the multiple Agunimons and charged straight through the thugs, slashing each thug with the small kunai knives along the way. Blood flew from each slash while a few thugs were able to stab the swordsman with spears, some of them hitting vital organs and areas multiple times. It lasted only a few seconds until Zabuza had made it to Gato and stabbed the small man right through the heart.

"I'll see you in Hell." Zabuza said as he pushed the kunai deeper before finally pushing Gato over the edge of the bridge and into the water below. The swordsman then turned to face the thugs, who were now fearing the monster before them, before falling onto his knees.

"Haku…" Zabuza said as he used some of his remaining strength to tear off the bandages on his face to reveal his entire face and jagged teeth, "I'm…sorry that I can't join you…I've always never told you of just how proud I am of you…my…son."

Seeing the swordsman fall down lifelessly, the thugs then turned their attention towards the Konoha group and the Agunimons, weapons ready.

"We don't need Gato since once we get rid of these guys we can raid that pathetic village of cowards!" one thug shouted until a crossbow bolt landed right at his feet.

"I don't think so!" shouted a young voice as everyone looked to see Inari, armed with a crossbow, and the many other villagers that were armed with knives, pitchforks, steel pipes, and everything else including the kitchen sink.

"Alright!" the original Agunimon said as he got to his feet and face the thugs, "Hope you guys are ready for the beat down of a lifetime!"

"I think I can add my two cents in this." Kakashi said as he formed a hand seal, "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Plumes of smoke exploded to reveal five copies of Kakashi, each of them armed with kunai knives in each hand.

_*ROAR!*_

"It looks like BurningGreymon's back as well." Kurenai said as said dragon appeared from under the bridge and let out another threatening roar towards the thugs.

Seeing just what they were facing, the thugs quickly accepted their losses and ran away in pure panic with some of them jumping over the edge of the bridge and diving into the water below. The sound of boat motors fading in the distance had signaled that the thugs were gone as the villagers then began to cheer in victory as they were finally free from that tyrant's reign.

Kakashi looked over to see Zabuza's corpse and walked over to it before picking it up.

"I believe that you deserve to at least be by your son's side." Kakashi said as he walked over towards Haku's corpse with snow suddenly falling from the sky.

"Snow?" Sakura asked in confusion as her teacher had placed Zabuza's corpse near Haku's, "In the middle of summer?"

"This must be Haku's final gift." Kurenai said as BurningGreymon vanished, revealing that he was just an illusion, "He's finally at peace."

_Rest in peace,_ Naruto thought as the Shadow Clones vanished into plumes of smoke while darkness was slowly creeping in his vision, _my friend._

The sound of a body hitting concrete alerted everyone to the now fallen Agunimon as Kakashi and Shino rushed towards him.

"He's alright," Kakashi said as he checked the warrior's vitals, "he's just exhausted considering that he had to fight BurningGreymon for control."

Sasuke watched as Kurenai and Kakashi pulled the unconscious warrior up and slung his arms around their shoulders while following Tsunami to her house.

_That power…_the Uchiha thought as the image of BurningGreymon was scarred into his mind, _and to think someone as weak as Agunimon could possess such a power! Now that I have the Sharingan, I am _that_ much closer to killing Itachi…_

***Tazuna's House***

Kakashi, Shino, and Kurenai had just placed Agunimon in the futon that was provided by Tazuna as it was just them in the room.

"You can release the genjutsu on him, Kurenai." Kakashi said as his Sharingan eye was covered once more.

The woman nodded to reveal an unconscious Naruto laying in the futon where Agunimon once was.

"I'm also guessing that Naruto was also Beetlemon considering how he reacted when 'Agunimon' appeared during his spar with Sasuke." Kurenai said as she looked at the two conscious ninjas before her, "I'm also getting the feeling that Naruto's also Ranamon, right?"

Shino nodded as he said, "Yes. I knew of this some time before this mission and I have sworn myself to secrecy of this; I would only tell someone of this with Naruto-san's permission."

"I had only discovered this recently," Kakashi said as he looked at his student resting peacefully, "and I believe it would be best if this was kept secret from everyone."

"Are you kidding me!?" Kurenai asked in shock as she motioned to the sleeping blond, "You saw what happened at the bridge and you want to keep this a secret!? He risked everyone's lives! What if he turns into that beast, or some other beast like BurningGreymon again!?"

"You can ease your fears as we shall aid the boy with his training." said a new voice as everyone looked to see that the new voice was from Naruto as the blond was awake and his eyes were glowing.

"Who…" Kurenai asked as she was ready to attack whatever had possessed Naruto, "Who are you?"

"I am AncientGreymon," said the voice, now revealed to be AncientGreymon, "and you have nothing to worry about at the moment as young Naruto is resting peacefully. I and the others promise that we are no threat towards you or the village."

AncientGreymon looked at Shino and said, "It is great to meet you again, Shino, as AncientBeetlemon gives you his regards."

"Give Great Beetle-sama my thanks." Shino said, getting a surprised look from his teacher.

"You've met them before?" Kurenai asked as she began to wonder what else her student had hid from her.

"Indeed he has," AncientGreymon said as he looked at Kurenai, "and we trust him with not only the knowledge of us and the power we have granted Naruto, but with the boy's safety as well. What happened back at the bridge was merely an accident as the Beast Form of my power had taken advantage of Shino-san's and Hinata-san's temporary death and took control over Naruto."

"You said that BurningGreymon was the Beast Form of your power," Kurenai asked with caution, "are there other Beast Forms of this power as well?"

"Yes," the Legendary Warrior of Fire said, "but BurningGreymon was the only one Naruto had actually tried to contact."

"How many of you are there?" Kurenai asked as she wondered just what kind of power Naruto possessed.

"There are ten of us," AncientGreymon answered, getting a shocked look from Kurenai, "each of us having the power over different elements: Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, Thunder, Ice, Steel, Light, Wood, and Darkness. There are two different forms for each element: a Human form and a Beast Form. We have only allowed Naruto the power of Wind, Water, Fire, and Thunder and only once have we allowed him to confront the Beast Spirit of Fire, BurningGreymon. We would only let Naruto try the power of a Beast Spirit if we believe he was ready for it. We have also placed limitation on the power such as a time limit and the use of only one element as to not endanger him or those around him."

"But he has lost control twice," Kurenai said as she pointed out the two events, "so how can he properly control this kind of power if it's kept a secret from the village?"

"While it is true that such power can be dangerous," AncientGreymon said as he briefly closed his eyes, "you must be aware of the amount of potential that Naruto possesses is one that none had ever seen…or would they be willing to see. We have complete faith in the boy and trust him with our power as we guide him throughout his life. We see him as family with Naruto returning the feeling as well as he had already form a familial attachment towards AncientKazemon and AncientSphinxmon. In fact, I even see him as my own son as I can sense a great burning fire inside the boy and I can tell that Naruto Uzumaki can be someone who can change the very world itself."

Kurenai watched as AncientGreymon took in a deep breath and let out a sigh while she thought on what the Legendary Warrior of Fire had said. Those words reminded Kurenai of her own bond towards Hinata as she could see the Hyuga heiress as her own daughter at times since Hiashi refuse to give the young girl the love and support she needed.

_Everyone deserves to have a family,_ Kurenai thought with a small smile on her face, _and I thank you and your friends for being there for Naruto, AncientGreymon._

"I believe it is time to let Naruto's body rest while Tazuna finishes the bridge that will change the way of life for this place." AncientGreymon said before closing his eyes, signaling that he had released Naruto's body from his control.

Kakashi let out a small sigh as he said, "I think it would be best if we all got some rest as we had just got out of a major battle. I'll watch over Naruto while everyone else shall get some rest. I'll have Kurenai take the next shift in a couple of hours."

With a nod of agreement, Kurenai and Shino walked out of the room and towards the living area where the other Konoha ninja were taking care of their injuries.

"We could have died today." Hinata sadly said as she looked at Sasuke, "Why did you use the Substitution Jutsu on Agunimon when we were fighting that hunter ninja? He was our ally!"

"He's just a weak and pathetic fool that doesn't deserve the power he has!" Sasuke answered, getting a shocked look from everyone, "He's no ally of ours!"

"But you saw what happened to him!" Kiba argued as BurningGreymon was still fresh in his mind, "We were lucky that Agunimon was able to regain control or else we could have been next!"

"Whatever," Sasuke said as he got onto his feet, "I'm going to make him give me that power since he can't control it!"

"I'm sorry, but that's not going to happen." Kurenai said with authority in her voice, "Agunimon needs his rest and we shouldn't disturb him. Kakashi and I will be taking turns watching over him along with Naruto since he was also injured during the fight."

"But where was Naruto?" Sakura asked as she was worried about her teammate, "I never saw him on the bridge."

"I can only guess that BurningGreymon had tossed him off the bridge after possessing Agunimon." Kurenai said as the genin looked at her, "One of the villagers must have found him and brought him here after the battle was over."

Everyone seemed to have bought the story before going back to taking care of their injuries while Sasuke had decided to step out.

_Hopefully things will be alright from here on out,_ Kurenai thought as a feeling had occurred to her, _but I think that this might be the beginning of something that the Elemental Countries could have never seen before…_

***Bridge* **

A few days had passed and Tazuna's bridge was finally finished as the Konoha ninja, with a now conscious and fully recovered Naruto, were saying their goodbyes to the villagers that have gathered.

"Thank you for everything, Konohagakure." Tazuna said with a large and genuine smile on his face, "If it were not for your actions and Agunimon's, we would still be under Gato's thumb for who knows how long."

"We would have also wished that Agunimon was here in person," Tsunami said with a soft, but joyful smile, "but we understand that he and his friends must search for their lost clan and also give them the best of luck in their search."

"We'll let them know if we ever run into them again." Kakashi said with an eye smile.

Naruto smiled as he looked at a smiling Inari and said, "You did an amazing job as well. Were it not for you rallying the villagers to stand up to Gato, we would have had all the fun!"

The younger boy laughed before he hugged Naruto and whispered, "Thank you so much…Agunimon."

This shocked Naruto but no one aside from himself and probably the two jonin that had heard Inari.

After the younger boy let go, Naruto placed a gentle hand on the boy's head as he said, "No problem and just remember that you will always have the courage to make change happen as long as you act upon that courage."

As the Konoha ninja left with Naruto waving towards the villagers of Nami, Inari looked at Tazuna and said, "Hey Jiji."

"What is it Inari?" Tazuna asked his grandson.

"I believe I have a good name for this bridge," the small boy said as he watched the blond ninja run towards his friends, "The Great Naruto Bridge."

Tazuna brought a hand to his chin in a thoughtful manner as he then said, "I believe that is the perfect name as we should honor the one who had given us the courage and hope to turn our lives around."

Inari ignored the cheering villagers as he looked on and thought,_ Thank you…Naruto…Agunimon…for everything._

**What adventures await our young hero? Will Naruto ever become strong enough to control BurningGreymon? Don't forget to rate and review!**

**Ja ne.**


	9. Chapter 9

**I do not own Naruto or Digimon.**

"Spirit Fusion!" normal speech

_"Spirit Fusion!"_ thought/mind speak

**"Spirit Fusion!"** demon/Beast possession/Inner speak

Chapter 9

***Konohagakure***

"Alright!" Naruto cheered as he set foot through the gate while the rest of Team 7 and Team 8 soon followed, "We're finally back home!"

"Indeed we are, Naruto-san," Shino said as he walked next to Naruto, "but we must first report to the Sandaime first before we do anything else."

"Right!" Naruto said with a smile on his face, "It's been a while since I've seen the old man!"

Shino shook his head as the collar of his coat hid the small smile at his friend's attitude and personality.

_Only Naruto-san would be the one person allowed to call someone as powerful as the God of Shinobi an old man,_ Shino thought as he and the others followed the blond to the Hokage's tower.

***Hokage's Tower***

"…and that's the details." Kakashi said after he and Kurenai gave the report of the mission to the elderly man before them.

"The mission must have truly challenged both team as we would have never expected such an outcome." the Sandaime said as he held his pipe, going over the details of the mission in his head, "I am also surprised that you have met such warriors like Agunimon and his friends…They truly sound like quite the fighters, and you say they're looking for their clan?"

"They think Naruto might be a clue to finding their clan." Kiba said as he tried to suppress the chill on his spine, "Although I'm not really excited to meet BurningGreymon again anytime soon."

"Yes," the Sandaime said as he carefully shot Naruto a look, "I do hope that Agunimon will one day be able to control such a power."

_I'm in trouble aren't I?_ Naruto asked the Legendary Warriors before said warriors gave him a nod.

"We should just have them train me to use that power!" Sasuke ordered before he looked at Naruto, "They seem to be following the dobe wherever he goes."

"If you are saying what I think you are saying, Sasuke Uchiha," the Sandaime said as he let out enough Killing Intent to assert his authority on the boy, "then that would be considered an act of treason and even though you are the last Uchiha in the village, such an action will not be overlooked so easily as the Daimyo had decided to visit and discuss certain business with Konoha."

The Uchiha remained silent, but he wasn't going to forget this…not by a long shot.

"Now then," the elderly man said as the Killing Intent faded away, "I believe it would be best if both Team 7 and Team 8 are given the week off as to help recover from such a mission; it's not every day that a simple C-ranked mission becomes A-rank. I would, however, like a word with Kakashi, Kurenai, and Naruto. The rest of you are dismissed."

Everyone, save for the names individuals, gave their respectful farewells before heading out the door, leaving the Sandaime and the remaining trio.

The Sandaime activated a hidden seal under his desk as to activate the special soundproof barrier before he said, "I am sure you three are aware of what is said in this room is to remain a secret."

"I have already been informed about Naruto's powers and I shall keep them a secret." Kurenai said as she remained at attention, "I would also like to have Naruto be given a special tutor that will help him gain a better control of his power."

"While that would be best, from what I have heard from the mission statement," the Sandaime said before he let out a regretful sigh, "but I'm afraid that that may not be possible at the moment."

"Why not?" Naruto asked as aside from having to add yet another person that knew the secret of the Legendary Warriors to the list, he wanted to know of any other reason to deny him a tutor.

"I'm afraid that my old teammates, Koharu and Homura, had learned of Naruto's new power," the elderly man said as those two have been bugging him for years about Naruto…or more correctly, the Kyuubi Jinchuriki, "but I have been able to deter them by saying that the power Naruto has had actually strengthened the seal on him and if that power was taken away from Naruto, the seal keeping the Kyuubi contained could possibly break and release the Kyuubi onto the village. It wasn't easy, but they have agreed to have one of Konohagakure's greatest seal masters look at the new seal…once…he arrives."

"And how long will that take?" Kakashi asked as while he knew enough information about fuinjutsu but he wasn't skilled enough to even try and mess with the complex seal Naruto has on him.

"He shouldn't be too long," the Sandaime said has he slightly doubted that this person wouldn't be here in time…Koharu and Homura were patient, but with Naruto involved…

"So what should we do then?" Kurenai asked as she glanced at Naruto a bit, "How is Kakashi supposed to train Naruto if we don't know anything about this power?"

"The Legendary Warriors have trained me with how to use the power," Naruto said in hopes of easing everyone's minds, "and since the first time I've contacted BurningGreymon, they're not going to let me near any of the other Beast Spirits until they know that I'm ready to at least talk to them without worry of them trying to possess me."

"While I do take your word about this Naruto," the Sandaime said as he looked at his surrogate grandson, "I must side with Kurenai on this one as none of us really know anything about this power. But I will compromise that whenever you are training with your powers, Shino Aburame along with Jonin Commander, Shikaku Nara, are to accompany you. The chakra eating beetles of the Aburame Clan along with the special capture jutsus of the Nara Clan should help if any…new animals are spotted."

Naruto had a cringed look at the idea, but nodded in agreement as it wasn't that bad since he had met the Jonin Commander before along with Choza. More people he could trust with keeping his power a secret.

"Now what about Sasuke?" Naruto then asked as he was wary of his teammate, "He could cause trouble."

"Not much really we can do unless he acts," the Sandaime said, "but I'm sure Kakashi will help keep him away for the time being."

"Very well." Naruto said as he wasn't satisfied, but he had to remind himself of the old saying 'you win some, you lose some.'

"If that is all," the elderly man said as no one had said anything else, "then you are free to go and enjoy your week off."

The Sandaime watched as the trio left his office while lost in his own thought.

_You better get here fast Jiraiya,_ the Sandaime thought as he let out a sigh, _and you better be here for your godson's sake._

***Yamanaka Flowers***

Ino was sitting at the counter when she heard the bell ring.

"Welcome to…oh it's you…" Ino said as she saw Sakura enter the shop, "Here to buy Sasuke-kun another rose while he really likes violets to match his mysterious aura?"

"No…" Sakura said as she approached the counter while staying at the side so that customers could be taken care of, "I just got back from a mission…"

"Alright, what's got you down?" Ino asked a bit harshly, "Did Naruto somehow proposed to you?"

"No!" the rosette nearly shouted before calming down, "It's just…the mission really gave me something to think about…"

After hearing about what Sakura had gone through, Ino wasn't sure if she should be shocked about her old friend had almost died due to false information, surprised about the rosette's encounter with Ranamon and her friends, or just dumbfounded that Sakura honestly wanted to really be friends with Naruto.

Ino wouldn't admit it, but secretly did admire her fellow blond as he was just so energetic and optimistic no matter what had happened to him. She regretted being mean to Naruto after what her father told her about Naruto's life with him being born on the same day as the Kyuubi Attack and she was just sickened at how people treated him for just being born on that day.

"So now that you have the week off," Ino asked as she leaned on the counter with a challenging smirk, "what are you going to do? I doubt you'll be able to spend time with MY Sasuke-kun because-"

"Actually I'm going to try and spend time with Naruto." Sakura said, completely shocking the blonde before her, "This mission revealed so much about how I've been acting towards my teammate and since he nearly died when Agunimon had accidentally turned into BurningGreymon, what if the next time he's at death's door…"

Noting the hint of pure fear in her former friend's voice and eyes, Ino shrugged her shoulders and said, "Whatever. At least I have more time for Sasuke-kun as he'll always be better than that baka."

Sakura let out a small hum, as if disagreeing with something, before she said, "Well, I'm going to go home for a bit and just rest for a while. See ya."

After watching the rosette leave, Ino began to ponder about this sudden change in Sakura as she decided to have just a girl's day out with Hinata.

_Maybe some time away from the norm will be good for both Sakura and Hinata…_

***Training Ground #7***

Naruto, Shino, and Shikaku were standing in the field after a few days had passed since the blond's return from Nami.

"Alright," Naruto said with a small smirk, "time to try out the new guy! Spirit Fusion: Ice!"

A bright light briefly shone before revealing a small, snow white bear standing on its hind legs wearing green boots, straps on his chest, two shoulder pads with one of them being orange and seen to hang over his right arm, and a headband with a picture of a bear on it.

Seeing both Shikaku and Shino getting ready to attack, the small bear panicked and said, "Wait guys! This actually IS the Human Spirit of Ice, Kumamon! I'm totally 100% in control!"

Shino looked over Kumamon before relaxing and said, "My apologies. It's just that we never expected the Human Form to be a small bear."

"Small?" Kumamon said as he saw that he was shorter than before as he hung his head and said, "Oh man…How am I supposed to beat the bad guys if I'm no larger than a big teddy bear?"

"You are forgetting that you have the power over ice and you have just recently obtained this form." Shikaku said as he reminded the bear before him, "Maybe he's much stronger than he looks?"

Naruto did forget about that as he did just recently obtained not just the power of Ice from AncientMegatheriumon and the power of Light from AncientGarurumon as gifts for successfully completing his first real mission…even if he had lost control of his power twice and the mission was much more difficult than originally thought.

"Right!" Kumamon said as he pumped his paw before facing the three posts, "Let's see what this guy can do!"

On instinct, Kumamon pulled out a small, rectangular launcher that was hanging on his shoulders and aimed at the post on the left.

"Blizzard Blaster!" the bear called out as he fired multiple snowballs from the launcher. The snowballs had hit the post, burying it in a pile of snow while showing evidence of damage if the dents in the wooden posts proved anything.

"A turret that fires nothing but snowballs?" Shikaku said as the idea didn't seem logical…but this _was_ Naruto he was dealing with.

Facing the post on the right, Kumamon drew in a breath as he then said, "Crystal Breeze!" Shino and Shikaku watched as a gust of wind flew from Kumamon's mouth and froze the post, covering it in ice.

Knocking on the ice-covered post, Shino said, "Frozen solid. Perfect for capturing your enemies."

Now having his attention on the middle post, Kumamon ran towards it before jumping into the air and actually getting some great height in spite of his small stature.

"Frozen Tundra!" Kumamon called out as his paw then changed its shape into a large frozen spike before being impaled into the post.

"The ability to actually change a part of your body into a weapon." Shikaku said as he was actually impressed this time as the small bear removed his arm from the post before reforming it back into his paw, "Now that is quite powerful should you find yourself unarmed."

As he flexed his fingers, Naruto couldn't help but think about Haku as he thought, _I'll make sure that your memory will live on through me, Haku. I promise you that._

"I'm sure that he would be happy to hear that." AncientMegatheriumon said with a smile on his face, "May his soul rest in peace."

Kumamon turned to face Shino and Shikaku before he said, "I'm just going to walk around until the time limit's up so I can get a good feel with moving around like this."

Shino looked at Shikaku as the Nara then said, "Alright, but just stay out of trouble as Shino will be with you. I'll go report to the Sandaime about this new form."

After watching the Jonin Commander leave, Shino looked to see the Cheshire-like smile on Kumamon as the Aburame then said, "You better not bury me or anyone else in snow."

"Aw come on!" Kumamon groaned a bit, "That would be hilarious! Just imagine the looks at the sight of snowballs in the middle of summer!"

"No." Shino sternly said, "You said that you are going to walk around and walk around you shall. You can prank others later as you do have the next four days off."

"Well then…" Kumamon innocently said before a pair of skis formed under his boots, "…hope you can catch me!"

Kumamon quickly created slid away while making a path made of snow through the launcher and disappearing into the forest.

Shino could have sworn he felt his eye twitch as he said, "Naruto…I think you would even drive the devil into drinking just to get rid of whatever headache you may bring him."

***Forest***

Kumamon laughed as he continued to ski along the path while making small little ramps for him to jump from and pull off a few flips and twists.

"This guy's fun!" Kumamon cheered gleefully before jumping off another ramp he had made…before realizing that he had just jumped off a cliff.

The small bear paled in fright as he began to plummet towards the ground and said, "Oh craaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa…"

On the ground below, Ino, Sakura, and Hinata were by a swimming hole with a blanket spread out on the grass near a small basket.

"Thanks for setting this up Ino," Sakura said as she pulled out a bottle of water from the basket.

"It's the least I can do since both of your teams faced off some strong opponents." Ino said as a slight shiver ran down her spine, "Who can say that they survived a rampaging dragon? That BurningGreymon sound like something out of legends."

"Do you hear something?" Hinata asked as the other girls kept quiet before hearing something through the wind.

"…aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-"

_*splat!*_

All the girl jumped back in fear as they soon saw a confusing sight…a pile of snow laying on the ground.

Before any of them could act, the snow then moved on its own and formed itself in a small white bear wearing green snow boots and a headband with a bear on it.

"Man that was quite a fall…" the bear said as it dusted itself casually, "…that had to have been at least a couple hundred feet."

The bear then looked to see Ino, Hinata, and Sakura looking at him with confused looks on their faces. Seeing the picnic nearby, the small bear chuckled nervously while scratching the back of its head.

"Sorry about crashing your picnic," the bear said before holding out a hand with a friendly smile on its face, "I'm Kumamon by the way!"

It was deathly silent as an awkward gust of wind rolled by until…

"*squeal!* He's so cute!" Ino squealed out giddily as she suddenly hugged Kumamon and spun him around joyfully, "He's so cuddly too!"

Hinata and Sakura watched in stunned shock as the blonde girl rubbed her face up against Kumamon's with said bear wondering just what had happened.

"He so cold and squishy!" Ino then said as she set Kumamon down and lightly squished the bear's cheeks as if she was handling a small puppy, "You girls have to check him out!"

Snapping out of their stupor, Sakura and Hinata carefully approached their friend as the blonde then nudged Kumamon towards them. The two then carefully placed a hand behind the bear's ears and noted that even though Kumamon's fur was cold, it was also very soft…like a fluffy pillow.

_Holy crap!_ Naruto thought as he felt a nice chill down his spine, _This guy's a chick magnet!_

Feeling more relaxed, Hinata smiled as she said, "He is kind of cute as he reminds me of Akamaru."

Ino then quickly wrapped Kumamon into another hug as she then said, "This little guy's just so adorable! I just wanna take him home and cuddle him forever!"

Acting quickly, Kumamon then turned into snow and slid out of Ino's grasp before reforming behind her.

"A-A-As much as I like the idea," Kumamon said as he slowly began to back away from the trio, "I…I…I think I can hear Agunimon calling for me…Yeah!...so I really should be going and-"

"Did you just say Agunimon?" Sakura asked, "How is he doing since that day?"

"He's alright," Kumamon answered, "Agunimon's been training in hopes of being able to control BurningGreymon."

"So can you change into something like BurningGreymon too, Kuma-chan?" Hinata carefully asked as an image of the bear before her turning into a fearsome dragon.

"You mean our Beast Spirit forms?" Kumamon said before giving the Hyuuga a slight nod, "Yeah. I haven't met mine yet, but I'm going to wait until I'm ready."

"I'm sure you'll even be more adorable than you are now!" Ino squealed with a smile on her face.

"Well," Kumamon as he turned to walk away and pulled out his launcher and formed a path of snow, "see ya!"

The three girls watched as the small bear dashed away on his skis while the snow behind him began to melt.

"Aww…" Ino said with a pout on her face, "I was hoping he could stay and enjoy a nice picnic with us."

"I'm pretty sure that Kuma-chan has some training to do along with the others." Hinata said as her mind drifted towards Agunimon, "The powers that he and the others must be quite difficult to use."

"Probably…" Ino said as she let out a pouty sigh, "but Kumamon's just too cute to be as dangerous as BurningGreymon."

The girls headed back towards their picnic, although Sakura couldn't help but wonder about something.

_Could Kumamon be connected to that hunter ninja?_

***Training Ground #7***

The next day found Naruto, Shino, and Shikaku at the same training grounds as the blond was going to try out a new form of his power.

"Ready?" Naruto asked as he received a nod from the duo, "Here goes! Spirit Fusion: Light!"

A bright light enveloped Naruto briefly before revealing a figure wearing white and blue armor with a cannon-like weapon on his left arm, clawed boots, a wolf-shaped helmet, and a long light blue scarf with violet stripe-like marks.

"Not bad," Shikaku said as he saw that the figure was as tall as Kakashi, "at least this guy looks more human."

Before anyone could act, a kunai knife zipped by and stabbed itself into the ground nearby. The trio looked at the knife as new figure appeared wearing a green jumpsuit, a dark green vest, orange leg warmers, and had his black hair in a bowl shape.

"Dynamic Entry!" the figure roared out as he had a flying kick aimed at the armored warrior.

In the blink of an eye, the armored warrior pulled out two small devices that quickly formed beams of light and blocked the attacker's kick by crossing the beams together. The armored figure held his ground before pushing the man away with his weapons before going into a fighting stance.

"Not bad…" the man said as he landed into his own fighting stance with a confidant smirk, "not a lot of ninjas could stop a powerful kick delivered by Konoha's taijutsu master, Maito Gai."

_Those eyebrows…_Naruto thought as he couldn't take his sight off of the massively thick eyebrows the man before him had, _can eyebrows really get that thick?_

"Now then…" Gai said as he looked at the figure before him, "who are you and what are you doing here?"

Snapping out of his stupor, the figure cleared his throat and said, "I am Lobomon and I was simply training when I was approached by these two. They were about to ask me some questions before you tried to attack me."

Sensing another attack, Lobomon quickly jumped back to avoid another flying kick by…a smaller version of Gai with the exception that this one didn't have a vest.

_A clone jutsu?_ Naruto thought as he also noted that the miniature Gai also had thick eyebrows, _What's the deal with those eyebrows?_

A large windmill shuriken then flew from the nearby bushes and was flying towards the armored warrior.

Light formed from the cannon on Lobomon's arm before the warrior aimed it at the shuriken and said, "Howling Laser!"

A beam of light shot out from the cannon and hit the shuriken, deflecting the attack as the weapon flopped into the air before landing on the ground. At that moment, a young girl with her brown hair in two buns wearing a pink shirt and blue pants jumped from the bushes with a weighted chain swinging around her.

"Eat this!" the girl called out as she tossed the chain towards Lobomon in hopes of capturing him.

Using one of the beams from the devices, Lobomon quickly swung the beam around when the chain got near him and said, "Lobo Kendo!"

The chain was sliced into small pieces that either bounced off the warrior's armor or flew harmlessly by him.

"Whoa…" the girl said with surprise as she looked at the two weapons Lobomon had, "what kind of weapons are those?"

"These are my Licht Shwert swords," Lobomon answered as the beams vanished before the warrior placed the devices behind his hips, "Now if you could just let me…"

A series of swift strikes had caused Lobomon's legs to give out as a young boy with pale eyes wearing a white jacket and blue shorts was now standing over him.

"Your capture was fated to be by my hands." the young boy said with a calculative tone in his voice, "Any last words before we hand you over to the ANBU?"

"Let him go." said an elderly voice as everyone looked to see the Sandaime approaching them, "He had explained to himself that he was training when Shino and Shikaku had approached him and he was about to answer their questions. He was willing to cooperate with them, but due to the use of force against him when he had agreed, he may withhold any information due to the chance of being attacked again."

"Sandaime-sama!" Gai said before he looked at the pale-eyed boy, "Neji, help Lobomon up so that he can explain himself! Tenten, give him some medical treatment while Lee gets him some water."

The three teens nodded as the pale-eyed boy helped the armored warrior into a seated position while the girl brought out a first aid kit.

"I'm alright," Lobomon said as he felt the injuries on his legs healing themselves, "but thank you."

"So…Lobomon was it?..." the Sandaime asked the armored warrior as the miniature Gai handed said warrior a bottle of water, "What brings you to Konohagakure?"

_Better help Jiji,_ Naruto thought to himself as he gave the elderly man a sharp look.

"That depends if I'm going to be attacked again," Lobomon answered as the Sandaime looked at the three teens around the warrior that told them to back off.

Seeing the trio stepping away from him, Lobomon the said, "I am part of a group that is searching for our clan. We believe that someone of that clan is here in Konoha."

"And who would that be?" asked the girl with the first aid kit.

"I'd rather not reveal their identity as they might be placed in danger." Lobomon answered cautiously.

"So why were you training?" the Sandaime then asked the armored warrior, "Is it for the upcoming Chunin Exams?"

"No." Lobomon answered as he was beginning to wonder about the Chunin Exams that the elderly man had mentioned, "I am training so that I can get a better understanding of my power and protect my clan."

"Very well then." the Sandaime said as he looked at Shikaku and Shino, "I'll have these two take you to your friends."

"Thank you." Lobomon said as Shikaku and Shino helped him onto his weakened legs.

"You're letting him go just like that?" the young girl asked as the trio vanished into the wooded area.

"Of course, Tenten," the elderly man answered as he turned to walk away, "I can imagine that the young man had quite the long day of training and then being attacked and I'd rather not lose a potential clan that could be hiding under our very noses."

After the Sandaime had left, Gai looked at the teens and said, "Alright! Since we may have put Konoha in a bad light with Lobomon and his allies, I say we rectify this through hard training!"

"Yosh!" said the young lookalike with energy in his voice, "Let us use this training to show Lobo-san just how youthful we can be!"

The other two looked at the two before them and thought, _How did I get on a team like this again?_

***Uchiha Clan Compound***

Sasuke was breathing heavily as he was standing before the wooden dummies in his yard after a vigorous training session.

"I need to get stronger!" the young Uchiha said with a scowl, "I clearly deserve that power Agunimon possesses as I am an Uchiha Elite!"

"So you are…" said a mysterious, yet familiar voice, causing Sasuke to quickly turn around with a kunai knife in his hand.

"Who's there?" Sasuke order until he saw no one around before going back to his training.

What the Uchiha didn't see was a small opening in a nearby tree that revealed a smirking face as it was watching him train.

"Soon my champion…" said the shadow with a slight chuckle, "You shall follow your destiny and awaken my power."

**What awaits Naruto and the Legendary Warriors in the future? Will Sasuke ever obtain the power he seeks? Don't forget to rate and review!**

**Ja ne.**


	10. Chapter 10

**I do not own Naruto or Digimon.**

"Spirit Fusion!" normal speech

_"Spirit Fusion!"_ thought/mind speak

**"Spirit Fusion!"** demon/Inner/Beast Spirit possession speak

Chapter 10

***Training Ground #7***

Night had fallen as Naruto breathed heavily after a session of training by himself as even though his team and Team 8 still had a couple days left of their break. He couldn't afford to slack off if he was to become the next Hokage.

"Alright…" Naruto said as he was catching his breath, "I think I'm…*pant*…getting that Wind jutsu down!"

"Good job Naruto!" AncientKazemon said as the blond was indeed making some good progress with the jutsu, "Just keep up that attitude and you may even have a chance to control one of the Beast Spirits!"

_Maybe…_Naruto thought as the idea put a fire in his heart until something came across his mind, _Hey, Kinzoku-ji-san…_

"Yes, Naruto?" the Legendary Warrior of Steel asked in return.

_Do you have an idea as to why I'm able to get Kazemon's and Ranamon's abilities and powers down,_ Naruto began as this question had been bothering him since Nami, _but I'm having difficulties with Agunimon's?_

AncientWisetmon hummed in thought before he said, "Perhaps the difficulty lies within your elemental properties."

_You mean my affinity?_ Naruto asked as he then sat cross-legged in thought.

"Yes." AncientWisetmon answered, "My theory is actually based on what BurningGreymon had said when you tried to contact him. With one of you natural affinities being Wind and Agunimon's and BurningGreymon's being Fire, you would have difficulty as even the smallest of breezes and create the wildest of fires from a single spark. However, since you also have a slight affinity for Water, you were able to have partial control since water extinguishes fire."

_So whenever I'm using the power of Fire,_ Naruto thought as he tried to sum up what was said, _my affinity is fanning the flames and putting out a fire at the same time? Doesn't sound like a firefight that could easily be won._

"It doesn't," the Legendary Warrior of Steel said with a slight cringe in his voice, "but do not be discouraged, my grandson, as I'm sure that we can find a way. Although…"

_What is it?_ Naruto asked with slight concern as to what the Legendary Warrior would say.

"Well, if my theory is true…" AncientWisetmon said with slight disheartened tone, "then that could mean that when the time comes for AncientVolcamon to grant you his power of Earth, you will have an incredible amount of difficulty with as even though your control with the gift of Thunder is at an admirable level, you will still have some difficulty with the power of Earth."

_Huh?_ Naruto thought in confusion.

"Perhaps you should ask Kakashi about elemental affinities." AncientTroiamon suggested, "He might know more about this since he has been a ninja for years. That, and…"

An embarrassed chuckle was heard as the Legendary Warrior of Wood then said, "…we really don't know how your world works in terms of elements. Ours worked completely different as anything can happen and is shared with yet another world that is completely different than your own."

_Wow._ Naruto responded at the idea of two worlds existing at the same time side by side like that, _Well, I guess I have enough chakra for…_

_*rustle*_

"What was that?" Naruto said aloud as he quickly got to his feet and looked around for the source of the sound. If anyone saw his power, save for those who knew, who knows what could happen. The blond waited to see if anything might happen, but nothing did after a short while.

"Must have been the wind." Naruto said as he then saw the moon in the sky, "Guess I have been training for a good while. Should get some sleep since today was the last day of our break."

Naruto cautiously left the training field, but not without taking a few glances to the sides as something was telling him that now wasn't a good time to train on his powers.

The next morning had found Naruto and his teammates waiting for Kakashi to arrive for their training.

"Yo!" said the very person, shocking the genin of Team 7 at the sight before them.

Seeing the sight of his confused students trying to get rid of a nonexistent genjutsu, Kakashi chuckled and said, "This isn't a genjutsu as I have an important gift."

The jonin pulled out a few pieces of paper and said, "I have here in my hands are entry forms for the upcoming Chunin Exams. To answer the question on everyone's minds, the Chunin Exams allow any genin who enter the possibility to become chunin, allowing them to accept more difficult missions and become closer to the ninjas you are trained to be."

The cycloptic ninja sealed the forms away as he said, "I'll give them to you after we are done with today's lesson I have planned."

Kakashi then pulled out three more slips of paper, but they were just blank pieces of paper as the jonin then said, "Now even if you don't enter the Chunin Exams this year, I think you should learn something that most chunin would be able to learn: Your elemental affinities."

"Elemental affinities?" Sakura asked in innocent shock, "So soon?"

"Yes." Kakashi said as he handed each of his students a piece of paper, "Now the paper you're holding is a special kind of paper made out of a tree that was grown and fed with chakra. These react to even the smallest amount of chakra and reveal what your natural element is. Like so…"

Kakashi held a piece between two fingers and in a quick moment, the paper suddenly crumpled into itself.

"Whoa…" Naruto gasped out as everyone's eyes were on the crumpled paper, "How did that happen?"

"The chakra paper responds to chakra to reveal your natural affinity." Kakashi answered, "The paper responds differently to certain elements. As you have seen, the paper crumpled up due to the Lightning affinity that I possess. If I had a different element, the paper would have reacted in such ways: Burn into ashes for Fire, split itself for Wind, crumble and turn to dust for Earth, and become soggy and damp for Water."

"So what comes out of knowing our affinity?" Naruto asked as Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"By knowing our affinity," Sasuke said with a deadpanned tone, "we learn what elemental jutsus that matches our affinity more easier."

Sasuke added chakra to his piece of paper, causing it to burn into ash, much to Naruto and Sakura to be a bit shocked at how easy it looked.

"Sasuke's natural element is Fire," Kakashi said as he looked at the ashes on the ground, "a common element for those here in the Land of Fire, but also unique to the Uchiha Clan as an elemental affinity can also be passed down a clan."

"So what about that hunter ninja?" Sasuke remembered how that ninja was controlling ice, "Is it possible to have more than one element at the same time or even create and possess an element like ice?"

"Yes as anyone can possess multiple elements at the same time, most possessing only two elements at most." Kakashi answered as he also remembered that day, "However, there are certain clans that can possess an extra unique element that is impossible for others to use as freely. That hunter ninja we faced had the unique ability, a kekkei genkai that allowed him to create and manipulate ice, meaning that he came from a clan that could use this element just as freely as the Uchiha could with Fire. This is an advanced topic, so we'll save it for a future training session. Naruto, Sakura."

Said ninjas looked as Kakashi then said, "Go ahead and apply chakra to the paper given to you and we'll see what elements you have."

The two genin nodded and done as they were told and focused their chakra on the paper. The results were immediate as Sakura's crumbled into dust while Naruto's was split in half with both sides becoming soggy."

"Well this is interesting," the jonin said with slight curiosity in his voice, "Sakura possesses an Earth affinity while Naruto has both Wind and Water affinities."

Sasuke tightened his fist at how the blond idiot had TWO elemental affinities with one of them being Water. It shouldn't even be remotely possible for Naruto to get just ONE element so easily!

"So aside from learning jutsus better," Naruto asked as he ignored the look the Uchiha was giving him, "what else about them we should know?"

"Well Naruto," Sakura began as she had read up on this subject, "certain affinities are stronger when paired against other elements. Think of it as a game of rock-paper-scissors: Fire is strong against Wind, Wind is strong against Lightning, Lightning is strong against Earth, Earth is strong against Water, and Water being strong against Fire."

"Good explanation Sakura." Kakashi said with an eye smile before he looked at his students, "If looked at our elements only, we would see that Sasuke would be able to defeat Naruto's Wind with his Fire, but would lose to Naruto's other element of Water. Naruto would be able to defeat my Lightning with his Wind element, but he could also be defeated by Sakura's Earth element while she would be defeated by my Lightning element. However, one is not actually limited to their affinity when learning jutsus as anyone can learn different elemental jutsus. It's just that when learning jutsus that are the same as your affinity will be easier but will still take years to fully master that element."

_So that's why I'm having trouble with Agunimon,_ Naruto thought as he looked at the damp pieces of paper in his hand, _So that means Kinzoku-ji-san was right, which also means that I'm going to have a lot of trouble when I get the power of Earth. Guess that's what he was trying to say last night._

"Now then," Kakashi said as his voice snapped the blond out of his thoughts, "Let's begin training, shall we?"

***Hokage's Office***

The Sandaime was looking over some of the paperwork when a breeze flew by him suddenly.

"It's great to see you again," the elderly man said as he looked to see a man with long, spikey white hair wearing sage-like garbs sitting in the now opened window, "Jiraiya."

"I actually got here as fast as I could once I got word about him." Jiraiya said as he jumped down from the window, "How is Naruto doing anyway."

"You should know considering the circumstances." the Sandaime said coldly as he glared at the man before him, "And don't even think you can use your spy network as an excuse this time."

"So the seal Minato placed on him is starting to weaken already?" Jiraiya said with slight foreboding gloom, "Wouldn't think it would happen already. Guess the villagers somehow caused it to wither at a faster rate."

"Actually we want you to take a look at Naruto's seal as something had happened to him." the elderly man said, much to Jiraiya's shock, "You, my student, are one of Konoha's finest seal master meaning that you would have the proper knowledge of certain seals."

"I'm not one to brag if Naruto's involved," the sage said with a stern tone before he had noticed something, "and what do you mean by 'we'?"

"We should get the preparations ready to examine Naruto's seal started," the Sandaime said as he got up from his desk, "I'll explain everything along the way as I'm sure Naruto is busy at the moment."

"Of course Sensei." Jiraiya said as he followed the elderly man out of the office, just wondering what _had_ happened to Naruto.

***Sealing Chambers***

Time had passed to Koharu and Homura stood near one of the pillars in the chambers while Jiraiya was looking over some of the preparation seals he had made when the Sandaime walked in with Naruto walking next to him.

"So what's going on?" the blond asked as he gave a cautious look at the two elder advisors. Naruto easily knew that those particular two would mostly treat an unwanted ink stain better than him.

"We just need to check something with your seal, Naruto." the Sandaime said as he then pointed to Jiraiya, "This is Jiraiya, one of my students and a master with seals. He will be the one to take a look at your seal and he does know about your new power, but understand that we need to see how your power is reacting to your other seal."

"Alright, everything's finished." Jiraiya said as he saw no flaw, "Now the only thing we need you to do is to strip down just enough for us to see the full seal."

"W-What!?" Naruto said in shock and fright, "I-I-I can't get naked in front of you guys, especially her!"

The two elder advisors had to let out a sigh at the sight until Koharu said, "You do not have to be completely naked, boy, just enough so that Jiraiya can check on the seal."

Naruto gave the advisors a cautious glare but decided to take off his jacket and shirt, leaving his torso bare.

"Okay," said Jiraiya as he motioned the blond towards the center of the writings, "now for this next part, you're going to have to be put to sleep so that we can be able to get a look at the seal without trouble."

Before the blond could object, Naruto was already put to sleep through the courtesy of a genjutsu by Jiraiya.

"Now for the second part." Jiraiya said as the seals around the room began to glow while the unconscious Naruto began to float with a drawing in the form of a spiral surrounded by writing going outwards.

"There it is," Jiraiya said as the seal on Naruto's stomach stared at him and the elders, "the Eight Trigram Seal used to contain the Kyuubi inside Naruto. This seal allows anyone to seal anything away, but apparently Minato had a different idea."

"What do you mean?" Homura asked as he looked at the seal on the blond.

"My student left a small space between the two Four Symbol Seals which would allow the Kyuubi's chakra to mix with Naruto's." Jiraiya said as he examined the seal even further, "This means that Naruto might be able to use the Kyuubi's chakra, but at the cost of gradually weakening the seal."

"So anytime Naruto would use the Kyuubi's chakra, the seal on him becomes weaker?" Koharu asked as she had remembered how cut up she would see the blond one day and not have a single scratch on him the next morning, "How does that even work?"

"The seal used actually forces the Kyuubi to protect Naruto by providing its chakra to Naruto," Jiraiya said as he stole a glance towards the elder advisors, "a prime example would be Naruto's increased healing rate. It doesn't draw as much, but if enough time was passed or multiple life-threatening injuries had occurred, Naruto wouldn't be able to hold the Kyuubi back anymore, releasing it right wherever Naruto would have been standing."

"Dear Kami…" the Sandaime said as he and his advisors had completely slapped looks on their faces, "That means that Naruto is an unstable time bomb that could either explode within seconds or years!"

Koharu and Homura turned completely pale as they had actually had a hand in the blond's torment by letting some of the ones who have beaten the boy into a bloody pulp go with MINOR charges. They suddenly realized that the longer Naruto was tormented, the shorter the fuse attached to said blond would be.

They had been screwing themselves over for years without even realizing it…

The seal on Naruto's stomach then began to glow as a new drawing appeared and surrounding it. The drawing had ten different circles with the kanjis for 'Fire', 'Wind', 'Thunder', 'Earth', 'Water', 'Steel', 'Wood', and 'Ice' in them near the tips of the outward writings on the Eight Trigrams Seal with circles with the kanjis for 'Light' and 'Dark' hovering above the seal. Lines soon connected to create a picture of a person wearing a horned helmet with an odd symbol made of lines between the horns.

"What kind of seal is that?" the Sandaime asked as he had never seen a seal like what he had saw.

"This is the seal that we had placed on Naruto." said an unfamiliar voice as the group looked to see Naruto awake, but his eyes were glowing.

"Who are you?" Jiraiya asked as he was on guard for anything.

"You have nothing to fear as I am not the Kyuubi and Naruto is safe in a dream. I am AncientGreymon." the possessed Naruto said as he then looked at the Sandaime, "We finally meet face to face…in a way."

"So you are one of the Legendary Warriors?" Homura asked as he looked at the possessed blond, "So what are you exactly?"

"My friends and I are powerful warriors from another world filled with creatures called Digital Monsters, or Digimon." AncientGreymon said as he got a certain look from the advisors, "We, however are known as the Legendary Warriors as we have once faced off against a powerful being by the name of Lucemon. We then passed down this power throughout many a generation until we decided to aid young Naruto here. We saw something that none had ever believed he could ever possess…boundless potential."

"Anyone can have potential," Jiraiya said as he studied the picture made by the overlapping seal, "it's just how that potential is molded determines the kind of path that person follows."

"Indeed," AncientGreymon said as he noticed Jiraiya looking at the seal, "but actions always speak louder than mere words at times."

"So what exactly does this seal do?" the Sandaime asked cautiously.

"The seal you see before you helps suppress the Kyuubi's power to where only Naruto's death or the boy himself can release the Kyuubi onto the world." AncientGreymon explained to the group, "It also protects Naruto's mind from being manipulated by outside forces to not only protect the boy, but those who enter his mind as well."

"Care to explain that because we have a clan that specializes in mind manipulation jutsus." Homura said as he was unsure of the dangers entering a person's mind.

"The power we have granted him takes on two separate forms of the element they wield: a Human Form and a Beast Form." AncientGreymon continued with his lecture, "While the Human Forms are stronger and easier for Naruto to control, the Beast Forms of the elements are difficult as they are raw and primal power. They are driven on pure destructive instinct until Naruto can reign them in under his control, but we would only wait until we believe he is ready to control a Beast Spirit. An unfamiliar presence inside Naruto's mind could give any of the Beast Forms Naruto doesn't have control over an opportunity to control the boy."

"Has he tried to use one of those Beast Spirits?" Koharu asked as she was concerned for the safety of the village considering just how powerful the Beast Spirits are.

"Only twice as the first time was to only give him a small taste of their power." AncientGremon admitted honestly, "The second time however was when Naruto was under heavy emotional stress."

"So just how dangerous can one of these Beast Spirits be?" the Sandaime asked as even though he had gotten a good idea from the mission reports from both Team 7 and Team 8, what better source than those that truly know about a Beast Spirit.

"The Beast Spirits have about half of a Bijuu's power," the Legendary Warrior answered, getting shocked looks from the group, "but they are difficult to control as their power is more on a primal level. We are waiting until we believe Naruto is ready before even letting him try and converse with any of the Beast Spirits of the elements we have granted him."

AncientGreymon then looked at Homura and Koharu as he said, "We have also viewed the world from inside the seal and we are not giving the Uchiha child our power as we fear the darkness that resides in his heart. We have also placed a failsafe on our seal that we have not told Naruto about."

"And that would be…" Jiraiya said as he needed to know about this seal's failsafe.

Silenced echoed through the chamber until AncientGreymon said, "Should someone try to rip out our power by force, then we shall release all ten Beast Spirits along with the Kyuubi, which would completely destroy Naruto's body. While the Beast Spirits are to return with us to our world, only the Kyuubi will be left behind to wreak whatever havoc it desires."

Jiraiya and the Sandaime both hummed uncomfortably, but it sounds like with this kind of power, anyone could easily decimate just ANY village possible. The elder advisors hid their cringes as due to the village favoring the last Uchiha in their village, Sasuke has become a bit…driven. The both of them agreed that doing anything harmful against Naruto would be relative to creating a suicide pact that no one would be aware of.

"What elements have you allowed the boy?" Koharu asked, wondering just how strong Naruto could be.

"We have given Naruto access to the powers of Wind, Water, Thunder, Fire, Ice, and Light." AncientGreymon answered with a stoic face, "But of course, he only has access to the Human Forms of those elements as he is not yet ready for the Beast Forms."

"I believe that we have everything that we needed, AncientGrey-sama." the Sandaime said as he looked at the possessed Naruto, "We thank you for trusting us with this information."

"You are welcome, but know this…" AncientGreymon said as he narrowed his eyes toward the group, "…it is not trust that allowed me to reveal this information. Honestly with how Naruto's life was, I personally want to possess the young boy and burn the majority of Konohagakure with a literal baptism of fire for their mindless treatment towards a living person who only acts as a container."

"Then why reveal this to us if it wasn't trust behind your words?" Homura asked, slightly wanting to avoid such a horrific fate.

"My reason is because I care for the boy." AncientGreymon said with a small, happy smile, "In the time we have known each other, Naruto has already began to see us as family with a few of us becoming being addressed as such. I regret keeping information about the failsafe from Naruto as I see him as a son of my own, but I fear of how he would react once he learns of it at this time."

The smile soon vanished as the Legendary Warrior then said, "I believe that I must return control back to Naruto as I am aware that you have the information needed but remember this: While Naruto is the container of the demonic fox that once nearly destroyed your home, actions taken towards Naruto can affect him greatly with his future decisions of what to do with his responsibility as a jinchuriki."

And just like that, Naruto's head slumped over as soft snores could soon be heard from the unconscious blond.

"So what do you think about this, Sensei?" Jiraiya asked as the glow of the seals slowly began to vanish while the sleeping blond gently floated onto the floor, not even showing the faintest sign of his slumber being disturbed.

"I already had Naruto agree that whenever he decides to try something with his power, Shikaku Nara and Shino Aburame, or any other member of the Aburame Clan, are to aid him should his powers become out of his control." the Hokage revealed as his advisors gave him a look at doing something without their knowing, "This is all I could do as the Civilian Council will try anything to have Naruto forfeit his power over to Sasuke, even by force if necessary. From what Naruto and AncientGreymon have revealed to me, this kind of power is not one that can easily be handled like some tool or kekkei genkai; this is something far more complicated and even dangerous if handled improperly. I am also thinking that Naruto's Uzumaki blood also allows him to easily contain all ten of those elements, Kyuubi or not, without exploding into a bloody mess. What we need is a way to help Naruto with his power."

"But who would be the best one?" Homura asked as he couldn't think of anyone save for Danzo, but with the revelation that AncientGreymon had given them, the Warhawk was out of the question.

"Both Nara and Aburame Clans can only do so much and the Yamanaka Clan wouldn't be able to do much." Koharu added as she was wondering if someone from the Hyuga Clan might work since they specialize in attacking the chakra network.

"That is a good question as I'm sure no one save for a few ANBU could…" the Sandaime said until an idea came to him, "…of course!"

"What is it Sensei?" Jiraiya asked he wondered who could help Naruto.

"A special ANBU that I have especially for Naruto considering his status of having the Kyuubi sealed inside of him." the Hokage said with a confident smirk, "And if this works, Naruto will not only be able to have help when training with his powers, but we will also have someone who can stop him if the Kyuubi somehow gains control."

"Are you talking about him?" Homura asked as he had an idea of which ANBU the Hokage was meaning, "Sure he has the power of the Shodaime, but could he stop one of those Beast Spirits?"

"We may not know until it the moment arrives," the Sandaime said as Jiraiya carefully picked up the sleeping Naruto, "but even if he cannot contain a Beast Spirit, he can still contain Naruto should the Kyuubi try anything."

"So we're going to put faith in him if either the Kyuubi inside Naruto or one of Naruto's Beast Spirits go out of control?" Koharu asked, wondering if Hiruzen Sarutobi had either lost his mind or something was in his tobacco pipe, "That's a lot of responsibility for just an ANBU."

"We must also remember that Naruto has much more responsibilities than what he could have since he is not only the jinchuriki of the Kyuubi," the Sandaime said as he lightly ruffled Naruto's hair, "but the jinchuriki of these ten elemental spirits."

**What will happen now that the Chunin Exams are coming up? Who is this person that the Sandaime was talking about and could that person actually be able to contain a wild Beast Spirit? Don't forget to rate and review!**

**Ja ne.**


	11. Chapter 11

**This is Ryu Kotei saying that I'm sorry about, yet another long wait, but everything's been really busy since last time I was here. I will reveal that I have a bit of writer's block, but I have been trying to work around life outside the internet. I will also say I'd like to apologize to those who are following Mugiwara Uzumaki, but I'm afraid that I may have let myself get pressured into releasing it before it was ready. I will placed it on hold until I can think of how to get it moving again. I apologize, but I can't seem to get it going at the moment.**

**On a final note, I do not own Naruto or Digimon.**

"Spirit Fusion!" normal speech

_"Spirit Fusion!"_ thought/mind speak

**"Spirit Fusion!"** demon/Inner/Beast Spirit possession speak

Chapter 11

***Training Ground #7***

It was just a few days before the Chunin Exams and Team 7 was at their training grounds waiting for their sensei.

"You'd think we would be used to Kakashi-sensei's tardiness, but nope…" Naruto said as he gently tapped the back of his head on one of the training posts.

"It's like this is just some running joke," Sakura added as she sat against the post next to Naruto, "I mean, we're supposed to be an assault team, right, but instead our sensei is hours late and we lose that much time just waiting for him when we're supposed to be training."

"And training you shall have." said a familiar voice as the genin looked to see Kakashi along with a man with brown, spiky hair and wearing a jonin uniform and a unique hitai-ate, "I apologize for the wait, but I had to meet up with Team 7's newest assistant sensei, Yamato Tenzo."

"Assistant…" Naruto asked as he looked at the other man with confusion, "sensei?"

"Yes and you may call me Captain Yamato." Yamato said with a small smile, "It had come to the Hokage's attention that due to the sudden realization at how much a mission can change along with Kakashi-senpai's record and reports, I have been assigned to aid the team whenever your regular sensei isn't available."

"So you'll be our substitute sensei?" Sakura asked as she received a nod from the latest addition.

"If you look at it that way, then yes." Yamato answered as he looked at the three students before him, "Even though the Chunin Exams are very close, I believe that we should do some evaluation and train on your weakest areas as you will be facing some challenging opponents, including not only your fellow Konoha shinobi but each other as well."

"Will Agunimon be entering the Chunin Exams?" Sasuke asked with fire in his eyes.

_Guess he's a bit more obsessive than what I had been told of._ Yamato thought as he had already learned about each of the genin of Team 7,_ Hopefully Kakashi-senpai and I can find a way to break that._

"I don't know about that," Yamato said with a look of deep thought on his face, "I have never met nor heard of Agunimon, but from what I can tell is that they have really no reason to enter the Chunin Exams unless they think they're sure that their clan member would be here. I've read the reports and from how it sounds, both Agunimon and Ranamon could be as strong as full-fledged jonin if not a high-ranked chunin, and with BurningGreymon's power, Agunimon might even be stronger than a Kage; they have no reason save for searching for their lost clan."

Hearing Sasuke's growl, Yamato then said, "I believe that introductions are over and it's time that we begin our assessment of Team 7. I'll be facing the three of you at the same time and all you have to do is just fight me with everything you got. I'll study your skills first before learning what would benefit each of your unique styles so that they might have a better chance with the Chunin Exams; I'll also learn more about you three while letting you know more about me as well."

"I'll leave them in your hands then, Yamato." Kakashi said as he leaned against a tree and pulled out his favorite book, "Just let me know when you're done, okay?"

_Why are you always like that, Kakashi-senpai?_ Yamato asked as he lightly shook his head before facing each of his students and got into a fighting stance.

Each of the genin got ready for the signal while planning on what they would do and how they would handle the latest addition.

_Gonna have to rely on my own power on this one,_ Naruto thought as he couldn't help but think that Yamato's face was…odd.

"Hajime!" Yamato roared out as Sasuke and Sakura jumped back while Naruto dashed forwards towards him.

The man easily dodged the tackle before dashing towards the duo with a smirk on his face. Sasuke soon charged with a kick ready, but missed as Yamato ducked and went in for an attack of his own. Sasuke jumped back before Sakura jumped in in order to try and lay a haymaker, only for Yamato to sidestep and give the rosette a countering throw towards a charging Naruto.

_Their taijutsu could use some work,_ Yamato noted as he blocked a few attacks from Sasuke before having to block attacks from Naruto,_ but there is room to improve._

"We're not getting anywhere with just the three of us!" Naruto said as a smirk soon formed on his face, "Time to even the odds! Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Plumes of smoke erupted to reveal multiple Narutos itching for a fight before the squadron of Narutos then rushed towards the assistant sensei in a mob of orange and yellow.

"Not a bad use for the Shadow Clone Jutsu," Yamato as he held his ground, "but you really shouldn't reveal your jutsus to the enemy. Doing so would give your opponent an advantage along with a means to counter."

The man then began a chain of countering each attack thrown at him while also having to keep track of the real Naruto when he jumped in. Yamato did have to admit that with the sheer number of Shadow Clones combined with a reckless brawler style of fighting can be trouble since each clone was actually a SOLID clone and the numbers alone makes tracking the real Naruto difficult to the untrained eye. It was basically fighting a mob and having to rely on your own fighting skills and pray that you can hold out long enough to handle a good majority of the mob.

"Wind Style," said a familiar voice, causing the jonin to look and see one of the Naruto's right under him with a fist ready to strike, "Great Breakthrough!"

Yamato quickly crossed his arms to block a majority of the attack as the force was enough to send him a few feet into the air. With a flip in the air, Yamato was able to land outside the mob before having to block an attack from Sasuke and Sakura. The man was able to toss Sakura to the side and towards the mob of Narutos before he had to block a high kick from Sasuke.

Using his Sharingan, Sasuke quickly jumped back with a flip before going into a series of seals.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" Sasuke called out as he launched a ball of fire towards his opponent.

Yamato smirked as he went into a series of seals before stopping on the Snake Seal and said, "Wood Style: Domed Wall Jutsu!"

Much to the surprise of everyone, large pieces of wood erupted from the ground and formed a dome-like shield in front of Yamato just in time to block the ball of fire.

_What the hell!?_ Sasuke thought as the dome only had a few burn marks on its surface, _What kind of jutsu is that!?_

_Is that…_Sakura thought as she had recognized this type of jutsu from her studies,_ the Shodaime's Mokuton?_

Naruto was completely stunned at the sight, unaware of the Kyuubi's discomfort towards the man.

_So you're revealing _that_ to them?_ Kakashi thought as he wasn't expecting Yamato to reveal his Mokuton so soon, _I know this is to help Naruto, but why reveal it now?_

Snapping out of his stupor, Naruto looked at Sakura and asked, "What was that, Sakura?"

"That's the Mokuton kekkei genkai," the rosette answered as Sasuke continued his assault on the assistant jonin, "it allows the person to create and manipulate trees; the Shodaime used this very kekkei genkai to create Konohagakure. What I don't understand is how he is able to have it."

Naruto sent his clones to aid Sasuke before he turned to Sakura and asked, "What do you mean? He's able to use it, so why would it be impossible for him to use it?"

Sakura watched as Yamato was able to create a clone out of wood before she said, "From what I've studied, kekkei genkais can only be used by certain clans, like the Uchiha Clan with their Sharingan. However, there are kekkei genkai that can be implanted onto someone outside of that clan, which would explain how Kakashi-sensei possesses the Sharingan in his left eye. That's not Kakashi-sensei's REAL left eye. But there are kekkei genkais that cannot easily be transplanted so easily…much like the Mokuton as that only belongs to the Senju Clan, the very clan that the Shodaime, Hashirama Senju, is from."

"So how is he able to use it?" Naruto asked as the number of Shadow Clones was dwindling down pretty fast.

"That's something I'd like to know as well," Sakura answered as she saw the last of Naruto's Shadow Clones vanish in a plume of smoke, "but we can try and find that out later as Sasuke needs our help."

Naruto nodded with a serious tone on his face before he created a few more clones. Sakura smirked as she saw a perfect opportunity to try and subdue their opponent.

Yamato and his clone were able to prove more than a match for Sasuke, but that changed when five Narutos jumped in and went to fighting the two Yamatos while another Naruto went to help Sasuke onto his feet.

"I'm alright!" the Uchiha growled out, roughly wrenching his arm out of his teammate's hands, "Get away from me!"

_Sheesh!_ Naruto thought as he stepped away from the raven-haired boy, _after what we've been through, you'd think he'd be a bit more appreciative._

"He just needs to let some steam out," AncientVolcamon said as he crossed his arms, "Probably feeling the pressure of the upcoming exams."

Naruto let out a mental hum as he was sure that wasn't just it considering how Sasuke acted since the mission in Nami. He didn't want to admit it to anyone save for possibly AncientGreymon, but Naruto had been feeling some negative vibes from Sasuke and it made him uncomfortable about having distrusting thoughts about his own teammates after they had gone through so much.

Sensing something in his mind, Naruto blinked to see his last Shadow Clone vanish as Yamato and his Wood Clone stood confidently.

"You should always concentrate on everything around you…" said one Yamato as he smirked confidently.

"…or else the fight will already be over before you realize it." the other Yamato said as he suddenly appeared behind Naruto and somehow captured him in wooden bindings that seemed to have been made out of his arms.

"Crap!" Naruto cried out as he then tried to wrench himself out of the bindings, "Let go of me!"

"Hang in there Naruto!" Sakura called out as she rushed towards the two Yamatos.

The original Yamato dashed toward Sakura and gave her a swift sidekick to the stomach…only for it to go right through her.

_A Clone Jutsu!?_ Yamato thought as the ground behind his clone to reveal Sakura wielding a kunai.

"Let my friend go!" the rosette cried out as she stabbed Yamato's clone in the neck with her kunai.

The knife went in deep, but the clone only smirked as small, wooden pillars erupted from his back and wrapped themselves around Sakura, trapping her and preventing any form of movement.

"Dammit!" Sakura said as she found herself trapped, "Sorry Naruto, I thought I could take on his clone with a surprise attack."

"Least you tried." Naruto said as he soon found his legs bound as the real Yamato had soon captured Sasuke in wooden bindings.

"Alright, good effort team!" Yamato said as he and his clone let the genin go, "I'm kind of surprised with how far you've gone. Now to go over what I've learned…"

The assistant sensei looked at Naruto as he then said, "Naruto. I am personally surprise that a genin such as yourself is able to create so many clones, let alone THE Shadow Clones which are solid, and then combine the sheer number of them with a reckless fighting style along with how you used the confusion to slip in that wind jutsu. However, your flaw is that you also rush recklessly and you reveal your plans by letting them know what jutsu you're throwing at them."

Yamato then looked at Sasuke as he continued, "Sasuke. You do show your growth with how well you've handled the fight and used your Sharingan to an advantage. You're flaw is that you've allowed yourself to become driven before the fight, and while it does help provide a reason for victory, you could end up letting your mind become clouded which can also affect your fighting. I'd also like you to not rely on the Sharingan too much as you may find yourself against an opponent that could counter your Sharingan or not even be affected."

"Could there really be someone like that?" Naruto asked in confusion.

"It's possible as I remember facing blind opponents who are unaffected by genjutsus that target the eyes." Yamato said as he noted the Uchiha's upper lip twitch in agitation, "There is also a possibility that there are those who have heard of the Sharingan's abilities and developed methods of countering it."

"Now then…" Yamato then said as he looked at Sakura, "Sakura. You displayed great skill and knowledge along with the ability to act in conjunction with your teammates. Your flaw is that you haven't conditioned your body enough to do some damage to your foes. You do display great chakra control, but I do not believe that full direct combat would be perfect for you."

"Then what should I do, Captain Yamato?" Sakura asked as she was slightly disheartened.

"I suggest either studying up on medical jutsus or adding genjutsus to your repertoire." Yamato answered with a slight smile on his face, "Those two paths will allow you to better support your team by either tending to their wounds or giving them cover behind illusions. I'll see if I can find books on first aid or a few genjutsus for you to learn and practice."

This caused Sakura's spirits to be lifted as Kakashi closed his book and said, "I believe that we should take a short break before we begin any form of training. Meet back here in half an hour."

The three genin nodded and were about to leave when Yamato placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder and said, "I'd like to have a word with Naruto here, but you both can go on ahead."

Sakura nodded before noting the sharp look in Sasuke's eye and slightly placed a gentle hand on the Uchiha's shoulder. Taking the signal to leave, Sasuke followed Sakura off the field, leaving Naruto and the two jonin the only ones of the field.

After seeing the duo leave, Yamato then looked at Naruto and said, "I believe it's time that Kakashi-senpai and I reveal the real reason as to why I'm here."

"Yamato is here to help you with a couple of things…" Kakashi said as he stood next to his colleague, "…but first off, he does know about you-know-what."

"The Kyuubi?' Naruto asked as both jonin nodded.

"I have also been informed about the Legendary Warriors," Yamato added, getting a surprised look from the blond, "but I have agreed to keep it a secret as I'm actually here to help you with the Beast Spirits."

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked as he was confused at what the man could do.

"You already know that I have the ability to use Mokuton," Yamato said with a serious tone in his voice, "but what you don't know is that this ability can actually subdue the Kyuubi with this power."

"Really!?" Naruto said with surprise in his voice.

"Yes." Kakashi said as he then added, "The Hokage believes that there is a slight possibility that Yamato could also use this ability to subdue any of the Beast Spirits that decide to take control."

"Could it really be possible?" Naruto asked as this could mean that he could finally train in using their power.

"We really won't know until we try," Yamato said before a cringed look appeared on his face, "but there's a problem: With how close the Chunin Exams are and how we have ninjas from visiting villages, we can't risk the possibility of the Mokuton being unable to contain you if the Beast Spirit takes control and harming innocent bystanders or visitors from those villages. So until then, we will have to wait until the right moment to test this theory."

"Right!" Naruto said with a confident smirk as this could mean that he could be THAT much closer to controlling the Beast Spirit if there was a means of trying to stop him if he lost control.

"Alright," Kakashi said with an eye smile, "go an enjoy your break and be back here for today's training."

Naruto nodded and rushed out of the training field with renewed vigor while Yamato looked at his colleague and asked, "Do you really think that the Mokuton ability could really hold back something that could be as strong as a Bijuu?"

"We may never know until the time comes," Kakashi answered with a hopeful tone, "and from what I've saw when I met BurningGreymon, if Naruto isn't able to find a way to handle any of the Beast Spirits, then he may never be able to reach his full potential if he runs out of control and endanger others."

"Yes, but there is also one other possibility…" Yamato added with a grim tone, "…the Kyuubi."

"You think that the Kyuubi could also affect Naruto's capability of handling the Best Spirits?" Kakashi asked before receiving a nod from his colleague.

"Yeah." Yamato answered with an absolute serious tone, "The Kyuubi could somehow manage to influence any of the Beast Spirits into acting drastically, probably even turning them into something even more powerful and dangerous then the Bijuus themselves."

"I can't imagine AncientGreymon letting the Kyuubi have influence over Naruto's new power so easily," Kakashi said after remembering meeting the Legendary Warrior back in Nami, "…at least not without a fight."

"I don't doubt the Legendary Warriors' abilities of helping Naruto hold the Kyuubi back," Yamato said as no one, man or beast, could earn a title such as 'Legendary Warrior' just like that, "it's just the challenge of handling one of the most powerful creatures in the world AND helping someone learn more about their power would be a challenge."

Kakashi looked up into the air as he then said, "Then let's hope that Naruto can really step up to the plate during the exams."

***Market Area***

After having some ramen from Ichiraku's, Naruto was walking through the streets when he heard a commotion nearby.

_Wonder what's going on?_ the blond thought as he decided to go investigate the commotion coming from the nearby alley.

What he found was a young boy wearing some sort of black outfit and purple makeup with some sort of object wrapped in bandages holding Konohamaru up by his scarf. Nearby were Konohamaru's friends, Udon and Moegi, and a young girl with sandy-blonde hair holding some large object.

"What's going on here?" Naruto called out, grabbing their attention.

"Naruto-nii!" Konohamaru called out with a panicked look on his face, "Help me!"

"Shut it you little brat!" the boy in black scolded with an angry look on his face, "I'm just going to show you some manners!"

"We should really be going, Kankuro," the young girl said with a slight worried tone in her voice, "_he_ could appear at any moment!"

"I promise that this'll be quick, Temari," the boy in black said with a sinister smirk on his face.

_*thwack!*_

"Yeowch!" Kankuro cried out as he let go of Konohamaru after a small pebble hit the top of his hand.

"Naruto!" Sakura called out as she approached the scene while the small children took cover behind said blond.

"Hey Sakura," Naruto said as he kept his attention on the duo, "you know these two?"

Taking a look on the duo's hitai-ates, Sakura said, "They're shinobi from Sunagakure, but what are they doing all the way here?"

"Maybe they're here to cause trouble," Sasuke said as everyone looked to find said Uchiha in a tree, casually tossing a small pebble in the air and catching it, "because they just found it."

"Wait a minute! Wait a minute!" Temari called out in panic as she pulled out passports to reveal their tickets, "We're here for the Chunin Exams, n-not to start something against an allied village! What happened was just an accident on our half!"

Sakura took a look at the passports before she said, "They're telling the truth: these are marked for the duration of the exams."

"Kankuro…" said a raspy voice, causing both said person and Temari to freeze in place as a young boy with red hair and a mark on his forehead in the form of the kanji for 'love' carrying a large gourd on his back.

_Whoa…_Naruto thought as he felt something off with this person, _this guy's aura is something…_

"G-Gaara!" Kankuro said with slight fear in his voice, "W-What brings you here?"

Gaara narrowed his eyes as he then said, "You're a disgrace to the village picking on small children."

Sasuke jumped in between the Suna trio and his teammates as Gaara then took a few steps towards them.

"Be wary of this one," said AncientMegatheriumon with a cautious tone in his voice, "something about him does not seem right."

"I apologize for my sibling's behavior." Gaara said as he stood professionally before Team 7 and the children, "I am Gaara and these are my older siblings, Temari and Kankuro."

"Sasuke Uchiha." Sasuke said as he too stood professionally, with his shoulders a bit wider.

"And we're his teammates, Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno." Naruto said as he and Sakura moved to the Uchiha's side, "Welcome to Konohagakure then; can't wait to see ya at the exams."

Gaara nodded before he and his siblings walked out of the alleyway, leaving Team 7 and the children the only ones there.

"That was so awesome Naruto-nii!" Konohamaru said as he and his friends looked up at Naruto, "The way you stood up to that creep was so cool!"

"It was nothing." Naruto said with a sheepish chuckle behind his grin, "I'm just glad you three are alright. Listen, I'd like to stay and play with you guys, but we need to get back to our senseis soon so run along and I'll catch up later. Okay?"

The three children nodded with smiles before running off to have fun while Sakura couldn't help but smiled a bit at just how the trio looked up to her blond teammate.

"Come on, let's go." Sasuke said with a slightly impatient tone, "We don't need to develop worthless habits when we should be training."

Letting out a small, disgruntled growl, Naruto shrugged his shoulders before he and Sakura decided to follow Sasuke back to the training grounds and meet back with their senseis, unaware of what awaited them in the near future.

***Naruto's Mindscape***

Travelling through the dark, damp void of Naruto's mindscape, a battle-scarred man with blond hair in massive spikes and blue eyes that were as bright as diamonds approached the cage where the Kyuubi was being held. The man was also wearing deep red armor that was accented with golden flame designs and a fiery orange cape was draped over his shoulders.

**"****So you had heeded my call,"** the Kyuubi said as he looked at the hardened warrior with an intimidating glare, **"AncientGreymon. I'm not surprised that you decided to take on a human form instead of your true, draconic form."**

"I am only here because you had called out to us." the man said with a stoic tone, "Be aware that even though you are half the creature you once were, the combined power of the Legendary Warriors can easily take you down."

The Kyuubi chuckled as he then said, **"True that I am only half what I once was, but make no mistake as those Beast Spirits could only be a true match for my weaker siblings, Shukaku, Matatabi, Isobu, and Son Goku. Speaking of my siblings…Shukaku's here in Konoha."**

"You're talking about that young boy, Gaara," AncientGreymon said as he held his ground, "are you not?"

**"****Yes,"** the Kyuubi answered with a wicked grin on his face, **"and from what I can tell is that he's a bit off; most likely from having 'died' before being sealed in his new host. I hope you and the boy have something planned for the inevitable battle between the two should Gaara even fall asleep."**

AncientGeymon remained silent as even though Naruto has made some progress with the powers of the Legendary Warriors, the blond may not be a match for the power of a Bijuu…not without one of the Beast Spirit either allowing themselves to be under his control or going wild.

The dragon and the others did have to admit that the ability to control Beast Spirits would be difficult as their previous champions had trouble with theirs. Only one of them had managed to control her Beast Spirit with ease because she didn't realize the secret of controlling a Beast Spirit was in fact a life-or-death scenario…and she was also somehow compatible with the Beast spirit itself. Most of the other previous champions had difficulties with only one of them actually taming his Beast Spirit during combat.

Naruto's process is actually different since he is in possession of all TEN Legendary Warriors. It wouldn't be a 'pick and choose' method with each of the Spirits, especially with the Beast Spirits involved. Naruto would have to master each of the Human Spirit of each element before getting even remotely close to trying to handle a Beast Spirit.

Naruto couldn't master something like that in such a short time…

…or could he?

"I assure you that Naruto will be able to handle whatever challenges that are thrown at him." AncientGreymon said with a confident aura behind his voice, "After all, I have never seen anyone more determined than that boy."

**"****More like stubborn and idiotic to me."** the Kyuubi said with an annoyed tone in his voice, **"I believe I have taken enough of your time, so move along so I can take my nap…not like there's anything else to do in here."**

AncientGreymon scowled a bit as the demonic fox turned around and lay down nonchalantly.

"I promise that my son will be able to handle our powers," AncientGreymon said with a fire of determination shining brightly in his eyes, "and he _will_ become what this world needs…a hero!"

**What awaits Team 7 at the Chunin Exams? Strong foes? Life or death battles? Don't forget to rate an review!**

**Ja ne.**


	12. Chapter 12

**I do not own Naruto or Digimon.**

"Spirit Fusion!" normal speech

_"Spirit Fusion!"_ thought/mind speak

**"Spirit Fusion!"** demon/Beast Spirit possession speak

Chapter 12

***Shinobi Academy***

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura had made it to the academy where they had to partake for the Chunin Exams. Even though they had only trained with Captain Yamato for a few days, Team 7 had become slightly stronger thanks to the assistant sensei.

"You guys ready?" Naruto asked with a confident smirk as he then saw the looks of confidence on his teammates, "Then lets rock!"

The team traveled inside until they saw a group of chunin hopefuls gathered in front of a door that was blocked by two young men.

"Hey, let us through!" one hopeful said with a growl in his voice.

"You can't do this!" another hopeful protested in anger.

Sasuke was about to say something until Naruto covered the Uchiha's mouth and whispered, "X-nay on the enjutsu-Ge! The less competition we have, the better chances of a promotion!"

Before the Uchiha could do anything, his blond teammate led him towards the stairs with Sakura following.

_So someone saw through our little trick…_one of the guys at the room door thought with a hidden smirk, _there might be hope for some of these kids yet._

Once Team 7 has made it far enough away from the other hopefuls, Naruto let go of Sasuke as…

_*POW!*_

"What the hell!?" Naruto said as he rubbed his slowly bruising eye until Sasuke roughly grabbed him by his jacket.

"Never. Do that. Again!" the Uchiha growled out before roughly dropping his teammate onto the floor.

"Duly noted…" Naruto said as he looked to find a familiar face standing before them.

"You really should treat your teammates better," said Lee as he observed the group until he saw Sakura.

_Who is this weirdo?_ the rosette thought as the oddly dressed boy took a few steps towards them.

"Are you Sakura Haruno?" Lee asked before said girl gave him a confirming nod, "Then I must ask if you could be my girlfriend!"

"NO WAY, YA CREEP!" the rosette roared out with a look of angered disgust.

Lee hung his head in defeat before he saw Sasuke Uchiha and asked, "You are Sasuke Uchiha, correct?"

"I am." said person answered with a stern look on his face, "What do you want?"

"I wish to have a small spar with you!" Lee answered, much to Naruto's and Sakura's shock.

"I don't think we-"

"I accept." Sasuke said as he interrupted Naruto, "This will be over quickly."

Sasuke and Lee then walked to opposite ends of the training area before getting into their battle stances.

"Go Sasuke-kun!" Sakura cheered as she and Naruto stood at the sidelines.

"Don't forget that we don't have a lot of time for this!" the blond called out, much to Sasuke's annoyance.

"I thank you for having this quick spar with me." Lee said as he held his stance, "Hopefully I can become strong enough to defeat my rivals, and even though I had only met him once, I would count Lobomon as one of my rivals!"

This caught both Naruto's and Sasuke's attention for different reasons.

_He considers Lobomon a rival?_ Naruto thought in surprise as even though he had gotten better with using the latest additions of his power, he hadn't really sparred with anyone save for himself, _I'm kind of honored about that._

_Lobomon?_ Sasuke thought as he narrowed his eyes, _Must be another fool like Agunimon…unworthy of the power they possess._

Before another idea could come to mind, Sasuke suddenly dashed towards Lee while said opponent remained still. The Uchiha then went in for a punch straight for the young boy, but he missed when Lee suddenly vanished out of nowhere.

"What the…" Sasuke said as he looked for his opponent until something had alerted him about something behind him.

The Uchiha quickly ducked before seeing Lee go into a kick and went to block the attack until he saw his opponent make a motion with his free hand.

_He's going to use a jutsu!_ Sasuke thought in slight panic until…

_*POW!*_

Sasuke was launched a few yards after receiving a powerful kick from Lee.

"How did he get through Sasuke's guard!?" Naruto asked in surprise at what had happened, "What did that guy do!?"

_What was that?_ Sasuke thought as he pushed himself onto his knees, _Ninjutsu? Genjutsu? Guess I should bring_ that_ out._

Lee remained still in his stance, even when he saw Sasuke look at him confidently with his now active Sharingan eyes.

_So…_the young boy thought as he kept his focus on his opponent, _he brings out the Sharingan. Time to see if I can get past this legendary kekkei genkai._

Sasuke then charged towards Lee as he tried to read his opponent's possible movements. He knew that this guy had to be using something as no genin could ever be that fast naturally, so whatever jutsu that Lee was going to use would be completely useless.

_*POW!*_

The Uchiha was launched high into the air by his opponent, surprising Sasuke's teammates once again.

"I must say that I am slightly disappointed that you would think I would use either ninjutsu or genjutsu," Lee said as he crouched onto his hands and knees, "when all I am using is pure taijutsu!"

_Taijutsu!?_ the members of Team 7 thought as Lee jumped high into the air and was behind Sasuke.

"This match is over!" Lee said as the bandages on his arms began to unravel until a pinwheel zip through the air and stabbed the bandages into a nearby wall.

"Huh?" Naruto and Sakura thought before they quickly caught Sasuke as a large, red tortoise appear while Lee landed on the ground.

"Lee!" the tortoise said with a gruff voice, "You know that move is forbidden!"

"My apologies!" Lee responded with a bow, much to the confusion of Team 7.

In the blink of an eye, a new, yet another familiar face appeared standing on top of the tortoise's shell.

"Greetings, youthful genin," said Gai as he stepped off the tortoise while his smile beamed in the light.

"Gai-sensei!" Lee said until he was punched by his older lookalike.

"What have I told you about using that move!?" Gai scolded as he looked at his student.

"I know and please forgive me, Gai-sensei!" Lee cried out as tears ran down his face, "I shall make it up to you by running a thousand laps around the village!"

"That isn't necessary!" Gai said with tears running down his own face as the place suddenly became a seaside cliff at sunset, "You have already accepted responsibility and I couldn't be any more prouder."

"Gai-sensei…"

"Lee.."

"Gai-sensei…"

"Lee..."

Much to Team 7's horror, the two lookalikes went into a hug as a golden wave of water crashed against the rocks.

_What the hell…_

_That's…that's just…_

_I wasted my time fighting something like _HIM_!?_

Unable to take anymore, Naruto's mind had finally shut itself down, causing said blond to pass out onto the floor before Sakura quickly picked up her fallen teammate and ran off with Sasuke following behind.

***Naruto's Mindscape***

Although Naruto wasn't present, the Legendary Warriors had their own unique reaction to what they had just saw.

"What in Yggdrasil's name was THAT!?" AncientBeetlemon cried out as AncientMegatheriumon was laying on his side, stiff as a board.

"GET IT OUT! GET IT OUT! GET IT OUT!" AncientTroiamon said as he was jumping around in panic while AncientVolcamon was curled up at a corner trying to find his happy place.

"We have face many fearsome opponents in our lives…" AncientGreymon said as his stoic face hid the look of panic in his eyes.

"…but we have never seen the likes of that!" AncientGarurumon said with a horrified voice.

AncientKazemon and AncientMermaimon had fallen onto the floor and were frothing from the mouths while occasionally twitching.

"I fear I can _never_ unsee that again…" AncientWisetmon said as the image kept playing over and over again in his mind.

"I think I'll be coughing up hairballs for weeks once this is all done." AncientSphinxmon said as his stomach was feeling upset, "I just hope we never see something like that again…it would be too soon…"

***Shinobi Academy***

"…ruto…" Sakura's voice echoed in Naruto's skull, "...ake up, Naruto."

"Wha…" Naruto groggily said as he eyes were readjusting to the light, "What happened?"

"You passed out after witnessing _that_." Sakura answered with a slight shiver down her spine.

The memory of what the rosette was talking about sent a shiver down the blond's spine as he thought, _That…image…should be used for torture._

"So you're finally up." said a familiar voice as Naruto looked to see Yamato and Kakashi, "Almost thought we couldn't let you go in any further."

Yamato and Sakura helped Naruto onto his feet as Kakashi said, "This is a team effort and there WILL be competition and unlike the exams you had taken at the academy, this will be a matter of life or death as genin teams from the visiting villages will give everything they got in order to go up in rank…even killing one another."

Sakura gulped at the possibility of either her or her teammates dying during the exams…or even the thought of taking a life from someone else.

"I'll take all of them on!" Sasuke said with a serious tone as he was eager to bring out his full power.

Naruto let out a small sigh at his teammate's attitude about having to fight someone who might end up killing without a second thought…

…but he was also eager as well to see some of the other ninjas out there in the world.

As Team 7 went through the door, Yamato glanced over towards Kakashi and through the use of ANBU signals, he asked the silver-haired jonin, "Do you think Naruto would have to use the Legendary Warriors' powers?"

"I don't know…" Kakashi answered using the same ANBU signals, "I doubt they would let him use the power so openly, but with the second part…"

Yamato let out a small hum before he asked, "What about the Kyuubi?"

Silence echoed uncomfortably through the hall until Kakashi crossed his arms and, without ANBU signals, said, "We'll just have to hope that Team 7 will be able to do their best and pray nothing bad will happen."

In the exam room, time slowly passed as Naruto was looking at his paper in confusion as he didn't know any of this stuff.

_Dammit,_ Naruto thought as he rested his forehead on the knuckles of his left hand, _none of this makes sense! How am I supposed to answer these questions without cheating!?_

It had been fifteen minutes since the written exam had started and already three different teams had been thrown out after they were caught cheating. The proctor was also ruthless as he had a glare on his scarred face that could bore a hole in your head within seconds.

The blond knew that he was completely screwed as he was never _that_ knowledgeable as Sakura or Sasuke.

As he tried to think of the answer, Naruto then saw a beetle approach his paper and began to crawl towards one of the questions.

_Is that…_Naruto thought as the beetle looked familiar until it hit him, _It is!_

The blond watched as the beetle then began to fly around a little bit in a circular formation.

"I get it," AncientWisetmon said from inside Naruto's mind, "the objective of this exam is to not just answer the questions…but gather information without getting caught! Just keep watching the beetle and I'll help you answer some of the questions as best as I can."

_Thanks, Kinzoku-ji-san!_ Naruto thought as he smirked before writing down some of the answers to the test, _This exam will be a breeze!_

"However," AncientGreymon said as he saw a couple of teams getting kicked out of the room, "this part will most likely be the only time that we will help you."

_What do you mean?_ Naruto asked as he answered another question with the help of Shino's beetle.

"For the rest of the exams, Naruto," AncientMegatheriumon grimly said, "you will not be allow access to our power."

It took a lot of willpower for Naruto to contain his outburst as the blond then thought, _What!? Why?_

"Because we wish to see how much you, yourself, had grown thanks to our help." AncientSphinxmon said stoically, "Our power is but an extension of your own…one that you cannot rely on all the time."

"But don't worry, kid," AncientVolcamon said, "We'll only let you borrow our power in extreme danger since I doubt the Chunin Exams will be _this_ easy."

Naruto nodded to himself as even though he won't be able to use their full powers, he still had the Legendary Warriors on his side.

***Jonin Lounge***

Kakashi, Yamato, and some of the other Konoha Jonin were sitting on some of the couches within the lounge.

"So how do you think they're doing?" Kurenai asked as she looked at the others, "The written part shouldn't be too difficult for them."

"I don't think so…" Yamato answered grimly as he crossed his arms, "the first proctor's Ibiki, a well-known name in the Torture &amp; Interrogation Division. He's not going to go lightly on them."

"And then there's the second proctor," Kakashi added as he was reading his favorite book, "Anko Mitarashi, another well-known name in T&amp;I."

"Two of Konoha's feared torturers handling genin?" said a black-haired, bearded Jonin smoking a cigarette, "Kami only knows who's proctoring the fights."

"Do you doubt your students, Asuma?" Gai asked the bearded Jonin.

"It's not that I doubt my team," Asuma said as he flicked a few ashes into the ashtray on the coffee table, "it's just that Ibiki is known to be brutal when it comes to mental interrogation while Anko can be…sadistic with her methods."

"Can't argue with you there," Kurenai said as she had been Anko's closest friend.

Gai took a drink of sake before he asked, "So have any of you met Lobomon or any of his friends?"

Kakashi and Kurenai stole quick hidden glances at each other as Asuma asked, "I don't know who this Lobomon character is, but is he something like Kumamon?"

"I remember Hinata mentioning Kumamon during training some time ago." Kurenai said as the image of BurningGreymon was in the back of her mind, "A snow-white bear had given her and Sakura quite a scare that day on their picnic with Ino."

"I couldn't get Ino to be quiet as she kept saying how cute Kumamon was and how she wanted to keep cuddled up next to him." Asuma said as he placed a hand on his temple, "Sort of made me wish that she would just talk about Sasuke instead of a summon animal."

"You know…" Gai said as he brought a hand to his chin in a thoughtful manner, "I remember seeing Sasuke one day training and perfecting some Fire Jutsus while mentioning Agunimon and BurningGreymon. Kept saying something about having power that rightfully belongs to him."

Kakashi let out a sigh as he said, "I was hoping that Sasuke would have kept quiet about those two, but we have met up with Agunimon, a powerful warrior that can manipulate fire to his will."

"So Agunimon's the very embodiment of fire?" Gai asked as he and Asuma were both shocked, "What of BurningGreymon?"

Silence echoed through the lounge until Kurenai said, "BurningGreymon is also Agunimon…but at a more wild and uncontrollable level."

"When we first met BurningGreymon, he was proven to be a match for Zabuza Momochi." Kakashi said as Gai and Asuma let their jaws drop at the revealation, "If Zabuza's assistant hadn't jumped in when he did…who knows what could have happened."

"You mean…" Asuma asked as he snuffed out his fallen cigarette, "…he's THAT powerful?"

"Yes." Kakashi said as he closed his book and looked at his colleague, "Last I have seen Agunimon was when he had left, promising that the next time that we meet, BurningGreymon will be under his control."

"Such a promise…" Gai said as tears rolled down his face, "Agunimon is truly the embodiment of the Flames of Youth! I shall match his conviction by doing one thousand push-ups! I shall meet back with you later at the tower!"

The taijutsu master ran out of the lounge as the other Jonin couldn't help but wonder just HOW did someone like Maito Gai become a ninja.

***Forest of Death***

Naruto couldn't believe his rotten luck!

His team was able to get through the first part of the exam, but they were thrown into another part where they had to get the right scroll from the other teams while also facing off all sorts of nasty creatures that reside inside the forest.

"Who freaking ambushing a guy when he's taking a piss!?" Naruto shouted out as he was able to get a kunai from his pouch and cut the rope loose…

…only for a giant snake to rush by and swallow him effortlessly.

"Seriously!?" Naruto screamed out as he was travelling through the snake's insides before he formed a seal, "I know they said only for emergencies, but I consider getting digested by a snake a huge emergency! Spirit Fusion: Light!"

Outside of the snake, the serpent was coiled up in itself until a beam of light had erupted from its side.

"Lobo Kendo!" shouted a voice from inside the snake as the beam of light began to tear the snake open to reveal Lobomon jumping out of the injured serpent, covered in blood and slime.

Taking a look at the slime dripping off of his arm and sticking onto his hand, Lobomon cringed and said, "Ugh, disgusting…I'm covered in snake barf…"

Seeing a bright orange glow from deeper into the forest, Lobomon quickly ran off as he could only imagine that Sakura and Sasuke were in trouble.

_Hang in there guys!_ Naruto thought as he knew that he wouldn't stay as Lobomon for long, _Help is on the way!_

With the rest of Team 7, Sasuke was facing off against a ninja from Kusagakure who seemed to be far more powerful than a mere Genin.

"What's the matter…" the Kusa shinobi asked with a sickly sweet smile on her face, "…I thought you were supposed to be stronger than that."

The shinobi charged through the forest and gave Sasuke a powerful kick to the stomach, sending him colliding into a nearby tree with a sickening impact.

"I guess I was wrong then…" the Kusa shinobi chuckled out as she quickly formed some seals, "Summoning Jutsu!"

A large plume of smoke erupted from the kunoichi's palm as a giant snake sprung from the smoke and charged towards the stunned Uchiha.

_Is this it?_ Sasuke thought as he could hear his heart pumping loudly in his ear, _Is this how I'll die…weak and powerless!?_

"Howling Laser!"

A bright beam of light shone right through the forest before piercing itself right through the snake as the creature then disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

"What the…?" the Kusa shinobi said as she then saw a new figure standing on a branch that Sasuke had fallen onto.

This new figure appeared to be a young man wearing white and blue armor that had clawed boots, a wolf-shaped helmet, some sort of cannon on its arm, and a long blue scarf with stripes. The figure also had some sort of device in its right hand that had a beam of light coming from it, acting like the blade of a sword.

**(Play Leomon's Theme from Digimon World 1)**

"I hope you don't mind me jumping in…" said the warrior as he sternly looked at the kunoichi, "but I was told by a Naruto Uzumaki that his friends were in danger and that he may not be able to reach them in time."

Sakura soon jumped next to Sasuke as she asked, "Who…Who are you?"

Leaves danced around the new combatant as he held his light blade out before him in an underhand position and said, "I am Lobomon, Warrior of Light. I was sent here by Naruto after I had rescued him from being eaten by a giant snake…one that this woman had to have summoned."

_This is interesting…_the Kusa shinobi thought to herself, _my spy had never told me about someone like this Lobomon before._

With a smirk on her face, the Kusa shinobi charged towards Lobomon in blinding speed before giving the warrior a swift kick towards the head.

"Get back!" Lobomon said as he quickly blocked the attack with his arm before jumping away with the kunoichi following him.

Sakura jumped away in time as she saw the Kusa kunoichi quickly vanish before giving Lobomon a quick right hook into his face.

_So fast!_ Lobomon thought as he quickly countered with a kick, but missed as the kunoichi swiftly dodged and counter with a kick that Lobomon had just barely blocked, _She's as fast as Lee!_

Sensing another attack coming at him, the Warrior of light quickly swung his beam sword and severed the kunoichi's hand off.

"You're quite fast…" said the Kusa kunoichi before her entire body turned into a puddle of brown goop.

"What the-!?" Lobomon said until he was kicked in the jaw by the kunoichi, who had both of her hands, causing him to slide back from the force.

"…but your speed pales compared to mine." the kunoichi said as she saw the Warrior of Light shake the cobwebs out of his head.

_She's right!_ Naruto thought until an idea formed in his head, _Time to try a different tactic…_

"You may have speed on your side," Lobomon said as he placed his hands into a familiar seal, "but I have some tricks up my sleeves! Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Both members of Team 7 and the Kusa shinobi looked on in shock as more Lobomons appeared in plumes of smoke, each of them holding a beam sword in either one or both hands.

_He knows the Shadow Clone Jutsu!?_ Sakura thought as the original Lobomon gave his duplicates the order to attack, _But isn't that Naruto's jutsu?_

Sasuke growled as he watched each Lobomon attacked the Kusa kunoichi furiously with their blades. Even though the kunoichi had dispelled some of them with successful hits, the sheer number of them just seemed impossible for one person like Lobomon.

_How could he have that much power?_ Sasuke thought as more Lobomons were destroyed while two of them were just standing back with a light glowing from that strange cannon on their arms.

"I must admit that I had never expected someone else to use the Nidaime's information gathering jutsu in such a manner." the Kusa shinobi said with a slight chuckle behind her voice, "However, you also forget that ninjas always have more tricks up their sleeves!"

The kunoichi suddenly lowered herself to the branch of the tree before she moved past all of the Lobomons in a snake manner towards the other members of Team 7.

"Oh no you don't!" said Lobomon as he used a substitution jutsu to replace Sakura and Sasuke with himself and his duplicate, "Eat this! Twin Howling Laser!"

Both Lobomons thrusted their arm cannons forwards before releasing a powerful blast of light in the Kusa shinobi's face.

A terrible scream erupted as the beam had disintegrated the shinobi and continued to travel through the trees, leaving burning bark in its wake once the light had died down.

**(End Song)**

"Way to go, Lobomon!" Sakura cheered until she noticed something on the underside of the branch the Warrior of Light, "Look out!"

Lobomon couldn't act fast enough as the kunoichi that he thought he had obliterated was in front of him, without a scratch on her, with each of her fingertips glowing an ominous purple.

"I must admit that I have never in my life faced someone like yourself," the shinobi said with a disturbing smirk on her face, "but sadly you've disappointed me with how reckless and amateurish you fight. This should stop you from using your chakra attacks…"

The kunoichi slammed her glowing hand into the original Lobomon's midsection as she called out, "Five Pronged Seal!"

The Warrior of Light cringed as the woman's hand suddenly made contact with him before a pulse of pain erupted from where he was hit. A sudden kick to the face had knocked him unconscious, unaware that the kunoichi had kicked him off the branch that they were on.

"Lobomon!" Sakura cried out as said warrior continued to fall into the darkness that hid the forest floor.

She was about to rush towards the Warrior of Light's rescue until Sasuke grabbed her and barked, "Let's get away from her! We still have our scroll with us, so he's of no concern to us!"

Sakura remained quiet and paralyzed with fear as the sound of broken branches echoed sickeningly in her mind before she was forcibly dragged away by the Uchiha.

_Please Kami,_ Sakura prayed in her mind as she didn't keep her eyes of where Lobomon had vanished, _keep both Lobomon AND Naruto safe._

At the forest floor, a large tiger was about to pounce on a frightened genin after killing his teammates in a ruthless manner.

_I'm gonna die! I'm gonna die!_ the shinobi thought as he kept his eyes on the beast while warmth crept onto his legs, _I should have listened to mother and became a merchant!_

The sound of breaking branches caused both genin and tiger to look up to find a white wolf that was much larger than the tiger land on top of the beast, killing it when it had slammed its golden claw onto the tigers head.

With glowing white eyes, the giant wolf then looked at the genin with a threatening growl.

"N-Nice d-d-doggie…" the genin said before a scream echoed throughout the forest and ended as abruptly as it had began.

**What awaits Sasuke and Sakura deeper into the forest? And what was that wolf-beast? Don't forget to rate and review!**

**Ja ne.**


	13. Chapter 13

**I do not own Naruto or Digimon.**

"Spirit Fusion!" normal speech

**"Spirit Fusion!"** demon/Beast Spirit possession/Inner speech

_"Spirit Fusion!"_ thought/mind speak

Chapter 13

***Forest of Death***

Sakura sat next to Sasuke after they had just barely escaped from that shinobi from Kusa…or whatever it was after some of its face had been peeled off due to Sasuke's Fire jutsu.

Unfortunately that shinobi had done something to Sasuke as a strange seal in the form of three tomoes was placed on the left side of the Uchiha's neck…

"Please be okay Sasuke," Sakura said as she tenderly ran a hand through Sasuke's hair while looking out from the hiding spot where she was able to drag her unconscious teammate, "and please hurry Naruto…we need you."

The sound of rustling leaves alerted the rosette towards the bushes in front of the hiding spot as Sakura stood up and prayed that it was her lost teammate.

"Well look what we have here!" said an unfamiliar voice as three ninjas from the new Otogakure walked out of the bushes.

Sakura froze as these were the ninja from before as she distinctively recognized the Oto ninja wrapped up in bandages.

_Oh no…_

In a different part of the forest, Ino and her teammates, Shikamaru Nara and Choji Akimichi, traveled through the forest as they had just secured the scroll they needed easily thanks to one of Shikamaru's plans.

Choji smiled at their success as he said, "Now all we have to do is-"

"EEEEEEAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"What was that!?" Ino asked as she looked towards the source of the scream.

"Probably some poor fool who in too deep of a mess," Shikamaru said as he felt a certain amount of dread from the location, "Might be too late to help 'em."

"It might be one of our own!" Ino argued back as she decided to go towards the source of the scream, "We can't let them die there!"

Seeing out their blonde teammate was rushing into the dense forest, the young Nara let out a sigh as he and Choji followed considering that they couldn't just leave one of their own to die horribly and be eaten.

Once they got close enough and out of sight, none of Team 10 could have imagined the horror that they had saw…

"What is that!?" Shikamaru whispered in a quiet panic as to not alert the beast that was attacking a shinobi team.

The beast was in the form of a wolf that was even larger than one of the tigers that they had saw some time ago with what appears to be white armor that had blue stripes all over its body, small wheels behind its paws, and two large golden blades that could have easily been mistaken for a pair of wings at its side. The trio couldn't tell what was more intimidating, the blades, the razor sharp teeth and golden claws it had, or even the pearl blue eyes that were glowing ominously and demandingly.

It was a beast straight out of a nightmare…

"Dear Kami…" Choji said as he saw the two dead bodies in a puddle of their blood while the wolf-beast violently shook the third ninja around in its jaws, "What IS that thing!?"

"I don't know," Shikamaru saw as he managed to get a peek at the hitai-ates of the dead ninjas to find that they were from Amegakure, "but I'd rather not stick around to find out…or become its next meal."

The wolf-beast suddenly let go of the Ame ninja, sending him crashing into a tree with a sickening crack as the shinobi fell to the ground while the dent in the bark just showed how powerful the toss was.

"We have to help them!" Ino called out as she saw the Ame ninja holding himself up with one elbow while he had his other hand up against the middle of his back.

"Ino! Get back here!" Shikamaru called out, but his cries were caught on deaf ears as his teammate was suddenly between the wolf-beast and the injured shinobi.

Ino stood before the wolf-beast with her arm spread out in an effort to try and protect the fallen shinobi. She stood her ground, despite her heart beating wildly in her skull, while the beast before her inched closer and closer to her with a mixture of blood and drool dripping from its mouth. The beast's hot breath was now flowing past Ino's face with a cringing, coppery aroma that nearly choked the girl as she slightly flinched from the stench.

The wolf-beast suddenly let out a mighty roar that seem to shake even the trees of the surrounding forest, causing Shikamaru, Choji, and the Ame ninja to freeze in absolute terror. The sound wasn't anything a wolf could make as it sounded more like some giant, dragon-like monster as the roar continued to echo through the trees.

_I…I can't move!_ Shikamaru thought as he was fighting his nerves to go help Ino, but his body was completely tense as the beast's roar echoed ominously to his beating heart, _I…I need to help Ino…before that thing kills her!_

Once the beast relented in its roar, it then looked over Ino as the girl's hands and arms were visibly shaking despite the bravado she was putting up.

**"****You fear me,"** the wolf-beast spoke, surprising everyone that it could talk, **"and yet you are willing to stand between me and my kill."**

Swallowing the lump that was choking her, Ino then said, "Yes…I-I am!"

**"****You do not what I am or whom you are talking to."** the wolf-beast said with a slight growl in its voice, **"You do not know of the power of KendoGarurumon."**

"Kendo…" Choji asked as he was able to fight some of his nerves, "…Garurumon?"

"Guess that explains those swords." Shikamaru said as he was able to make a seal with his hands, ready to jump in at a moment's notice, "When I give the signal, jump in and save Ino and that Ame ninja."

Choji nodded as he then saw Ino reach into her pouch and pull out…a few small rice balls before laying them down and backing away from KendoGarurumon.

"I…" Ino said as she bowed towards the beast as a sign of respect, "I know that they might be to your liking…but I'm offering them for you to let this man go with his life."

KendoGarurumon leaned his head down and sniffed the rice balls before lapping all three of them with his tongue and ate them.

**"****I thank you for your small offering,"** KendoGarurumon said, licking the leftover rice in its teeth, **"but that will not be enough to spare this man's life after he and his team thought they could turn me into some trophy for their foolish pride."**

Ino sneered a bit before steeling her nerves as she then said, "Then take me!"

"IS SHE FLIPPIN' CRAZY!?" Shikamaru roared out as he and Choji rushed out of the bushes where they were hiding before they froze in place through the courtesy of another roar from KendoGarurumon.

The giant wolf then returned his sights on Ino as he said, **"You are willing to sacrifice your life for another, despite your fear of me telling you to run away."**

Ino said nothing as she let out a held breath before tightening her fist as she glared at the beast before her.

KendoGarurumon chuckled as he then said, **"I must commend your courage. Too bad that shall be your last mistake!"**

With a mighty leap, KendoGarurumon lunged towards the Yamanaka and was about to bite into her slender body when a giant fist was slammed into the beast's side, launching it a good distance away from Ino.

"Stay away from her!" Choji said as his hand returned to normal size while he rushed towards his teammate.

"Choji!" Ino called out as she saw KendoGarurumon getting up and shaking its head, "Look out!"

Before the beast could attack, a shadow quickly crept towards KendoGarurumon before it connected to the beast's shadow.

"Shadow Possession complete." Shikamaru said as he stepped closer to Choji with the beast slowly taking a few steps forward as well, "Now to-"

_*Whir-chuck!*_

The large blades unfolded and extended from KendoGarurumon's side before his wheels pressed themselves onto the ground and began to kick the dirt underneath them. With a loud roar, a powerful and threatening aura had caused Shikamaru's shadow to slowly wilt away and returned to said ninja.

_He overpowered my jutsu!?_ Shikamaru thought in pure surprise and fear before he and the rest had to jump away when the beast rushed towards them, _What in Kami's name is it!?_

Choji quickly got onto his feet before making a series of quick hand seals. After forming the last seal, Choji's body expanded into the shape of a large boulder of flesh while his arms, legs, and head remained the same.

"Let see how you like this!" the Akimichi roared out before his head and limbs were tucked into his body, "Human Boulder!"

Choji's body then began to roll before charging violently towards KendoGarurumon. Seeing this, the beast then opened its mouth as it began to glow brightly.

**"****Lupine Laser!"** the beast roared out as it fired a few beams of light from its jaws.

Ino watched as her enlarged teammate swiftly dodged the first two beams before getting clipped by the third beam as it had bounced off his spinning body.

Quickly skidding around for another attack, Choji rushed towards KendoGarurumon while the beast charged towards him, blades brightly gleaming in the light.

**"****Howling Star!"** the beast roared out as he got closer and closer to its opponent.

The charging duo got closer and closer to each other before Choji somehow jumped over his opponent and called out, "Now Shikamaru!"

KendoGarurumon saw that said ninja had appeared in front of him and threw a few kunai with paper seals attached to them.

"Now!" Shikamaru said as he formed a single seal that caused the paper seals to release a brightly light that seemed to have blinded the charging beast.

Unable to see, KendoGarurumon's path faltered as he sped by Shikamaru, just barely missing him with one of his golden blades, before crashing against a few trees.

"Damn that was close!" Shikamaru saw as he took a quick look at some of the trees before rushing towards his teammates, "Is everyone alright?"

"I think so…" Ino said as she saw Choji, back to his normal size, approaching them, "How about you Choji?"

"My shoulder hurts from getting hit by that thing's attack," Choji said as he held his injured shoulder as it was burning under his hand, "it kinda burns and stings at the same time."

"Be lucky that you didn't get sliced!" Shikamaru said as he pointed to some of the trees that he saw as they were missing some large chucks of their trunks, "If those blades that KendoGarurumon has could do that to thick trees like that, then imagine what could happen to the human body."

Banishing the thought of the possible damage, Ino then turned towards the fallen Ame ninja and asked, "Are you alright?"

"I…engh…I don't know." he answered as he still held his back with a pained look on his face, "I think my back's broken…can't feel my legs."

"What exactly is that thing?" Choji asked as he kept his attention on the stunned beast.

"You seriously don't know what that thing is?" the Ame ninja asked in pained surprise, "Kind of thought you'd know since this is Konoha's Forest of Death. We saw it attack some of the other animals and genin teams, but…engh…but the weird thing about it…is that my team and I had saw it looking through some of the dead bodies and collected the scrolls that the proctors had given everyone."

"What would something like that want with our scrolls?" Ino asked before she saw her teammates tense up.

"We might have to ask it…" Shikamaru said as his focus hardened seeing that KendoGarurumon had regained its senses and was now glaring towards them, "…cause here it comes!"

A chuckled was heard from the fallen ninja as he then said, "I fear that this might be our last, so if you have any regrets, might as well say them now."

Everyone was quiet until Ino let out a sigh and said, "Just one…I wish I could have been nicer to Naruto…maybe even tell him that I did find him slightly more charming than Sasuke as that blond idiot always seemed to find a way to be happy despite all that is thrown at him."

As KendoGarurumon slowly approached them, Shikamaru chuckled to himself as he thought, _Ino having a thing for Konoha's loudest ninja…now I've heard everything. Too bad Naruto will never know…_

With Sakura, she had been scuffed up pretty badly after going up against the Oto ninja that was firing bursts of wind from his palms. She escaped from the kunoichi by cutting off most of her own pink hair when the Oto ninja had a hold of it.

But despite her best efforts, Sakura knew that she couldn't last long as Lee laid unconscious after what the mummy-like ninja had done to him.

_Sasuke-kun…Naruto…_Sakura thought as her injuries and fatigue were catching up to her, _I'm…I'm sorry that I couldn't be stronger…_

"I take it you three are responsible for Lee's absence." said a new voice as Sakura looked up to find Neji and Tenten on a branch in the tree where Sasuke was hidden, "Guess we should jump in and help our own as destiny had brought us here."

_Neji…_Tenten thought as her teammate was always so preachy about destiny and fate, _How am I not insane because of my own teammates?_

Neji's veins son pulsed near his eyes as he then said, "I hope you are ready to face the might of the Hyuga!"

***Mindscape***

Sasuke stood in a brightly lit area as he soon saw his younger self crying as he held his face.

"Why?" the younger Sasuke asked as tears continued to flow from his eyes, "Why wasn't I stronger? Why did they have to die? Why did Itachi kill them?"

_No!_ the older Sasuke thought as he covered his ears in vain, _Not this! Anything, but this!_

"I can give you what you want," the younger Sasuke said with an unfamiliar voice as his face now had a tear in it to reveal a similar face that was under the Kusa ninja's from before, "Sasuke-kun."

A painful pulse erupted from the older Sasuke's neck as said Uchiha fell to his knees and clutched the source of his pain. Sasuke's body soon felt like it was on fire as more pain shot out from his neck.

"Do you feel that, Sasuke-kun?" the younger Sasuke asked with a smirk on his torn face, "That is the power that I, Orochimaru, can grant you; power that will allow you to avenge your clan and kill Itachi Uchiha."

Before another word was said, a familiar hand was seen being stabbed through the younger Sasuke's body as the smaller boy was lifted into the air.

"I'm sorry," Ribenji said as his eyes began to glow brightly, "but I won't let you steal something that isn't yours."

In a bright light, the younger Sasuke was suddenly destroyed as the light had atomized him with black wisps swirling around in Ribenji's now open palm before letting is dissipate into nothingness.

Walking up to the fallen Sasuke, the young boy placed a hand on the Uchiha's neck were the mark was and said, "Allow me to purify your body from that vile thing's presence."

A wave of relief ran through Sasuke's body as his body and neck wasn't in pain anymore.

"There…" Ribenji said with a happy tone in his voice, "…now I can give you a gift."

Sasuke looked up to seen the angel-like boy holding a small statue of what appears to be a midnight black demon with multiple eyes on its body save for where they should be in the two horned heads.

"What…" Sasuke asked as he studied the statue to find that it was radiating darkness and power, "What is that?"

"This is your gift, my Champion." Ribenji answered with a kind smile on his face, "I have chosen you, Sasuke Uchiha, to wield this power…Power similar to the ones you have met before."

Getting the message, Sasuke then said, "You mean that this is the same as THEIR power!?"

Ribenji nodded as his smile fade and he said, "Yes. I will tell you my tale on a later date, but your friend appears to be in trouble. Use my gift and show them that you are the true Champion of Darkness."

Sasuke nodded as the demonic statue approached him before fusing with his body…

***Forest of Death***

Neji was about to begin his assault when a powerful and dark aura erupted from the opening in the tree.

_What is this!?_ the Hyuga thought in surprise as he studied this new energy, _It's so powerful! Even more so than a genin fresh from the academy could produce!_

Everyone looked to find a figure with long, golden blond hair wearing demonic-looking armor that had eyes on his shoulders, knees, feet, and at the center of his chest while he had slender, demonic skulls instead of hands.

"What is he?" Tenten asked as she felt a cold sweat from the sight of this new warrior alone.

"It can't be…" Sakura said as there was only one person who was in that tree, "…Sasuke?"

Sasuke looked over his new body as he could feel power coursing through every fiber of his being.

"So this is the power that he told me about…" Sasuke said before he look at his teammate, "Who did this to you, Sakura?"

Summoning his nerve, the spikey-haired Oto ninja proudly pointed a thumb to himself and said, "It was me and I am not afraid of some creep like you!"

"Easy there Zaku," said the mummified Oto ninja, "something about him isn't right; His power…it feels off."

"Whatever!" the now identified Zaku said with an arrogant smirk on his face, "I can beat this freak as he's just a weak and pathetic genin!"

"So you're the one…" Sasuke said as he continued to stare down the Oto ninjas, "then prepare yourself as you shall face the power of darkness incarnate, Duskmon!"

With that declaration, Duskmon charged towards Zaku as a blood red blade jutted out from the slender skull's mouth while the Oto ninja just aimed the hollowed air tubes that were in his palms at his opponent.

"You really must be stupid for charging right towards me without a plan!" Zaku said with a manic smile on his face, "Decapitating Airwaves!"

A large blast of air erupted from the Oto ninja's palms and were heading towards Duskmon, who still kept charging towards Zaku.

"Pathetic." the demonic warrior said as his blade began to glow a deathly red color, "Lunar Plasma!"

With a swing of the glowing blade, a curved beam of dark red energy was launched from Duskmon's sword and sliced clear through the air blasts, allowing the demonic warrior to get closer.

"Get out of the way!" the Oto kunoichi said as she and her teammates dodged the attack before witnessing the beam violently slicing the bark off of the nearby trees.

_It just tore the bark right off!_ the mummified ninja thought as he watched Zaku send another blast of air towards Duskmon, only for said person to use the same attack to counter it, _What kind of power did Lord Orochimaru give him?_

"Don't think your fancy sword will hold me off forever!" Zaku confidently roared out until he saw the eyes on Duskmon's body look right at him.

"I have much more than just my blade." Duskmon said as he aimed the other slender skull at Zaku with a dark red light glowing from it and the eyes on his body, "Deadly Gaze!"

A series of dark red beams shot out from the skull and pupils before each of them had hit their target dead on. Zaku had managed to block them, but his arms were burning from the raw energy that they were exposed to while blood was seeping from the wounds.

"I also have my jutsus if you haven't forgotten!" Duskmon roared out as he launched multiple plumes of fire towards the Oto ninja, "Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"

Zaku smirked as he aimed his palm towards the plumes of fire and shot out a burst of air that had put them out to reveal…

"Shuriken!" the Oto ninja gasped out before dodging the metal stars, "How did he even throw them!"

"Wouldn't you like to know." Duskmon said as he was suddenly behind Zaku as this sword had retreated back into the skull.

Before Zaku could move, the demonic warrior behind him suddenly grabbed his arms with the jagged teeth of his skulls. Each of the fangs dug themselves into the flesh of the Oto ninja's arms as a slight chuckle was heard from Duskmon.

"You seem to favor these arms of yours…" Duskmon said as he tightened his grip on Zaku's arms, "…let's see how you fight without them!"

_*crunch!*_

"EEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHH!" Zaku screamed out as his arms were suddenly broken from the pressure that was applied to them.

Sakura watched in horror at what Duskmon was doing as her thoughts were running so fast through her skull.

What is this power Sasuke has?

Why is it familiar to the power that Agunimon and his friends have?

Why would Sasuke fight like this?

Where's Naruto?

Just what is going on with Sasuke?

Not finding an answer to her questions, Sakura silently prayed for any form of miracle to just get this nightmare over with.

With Team 10, the trio were about to try and fight off KendoGarurumon until said beast tilted his head towards a different direction and growled.

"What's going on?" Choji asked as Shikamaru quickly used his jutsu to latch his own shadow with KendoGarurumon's.

"Whatever had happened had bought us a slight advantage." Shikamaru said as he applied some extra chakra as to keep his grip on the beast.

The sound of dirt getting kicked up had alerted the group as KendoGarurumon began charging towards them…before turning around towards where he was looking before.

"How is he even moving after Shikamaru had captured him?" Ino asked in confusion.

Before the Nara could answer, he realized his mistake too late as he was suddenly dragged through the forest due to his shadow being connected to KendoGarurumon's.

"Shikamaru!" Choji called out as he and Ino quickly followed their screaming and cursing teammate through the forest, leaving the Ame ninja all alone.

Letting out a sigh, the Ame ninja knew that he couldn't go on as he pulled out the Earth scroll his team was given and see just what was so special about it and its sister scroll.

In the area where Duskmon continued to crush Zaku's arms, everyone watched in horror at what was happening until the demonic warrior had let go of the Oto ninja's arms in favor of grabbing Zaku's head with one of the demonic skulls.

"How about I end your misery right now?" Duskmon asked until a new sound had drawn his attention.

Everyone looked to see a large wolf in white armor with large golden blades on its sides charge through the forest before turning itself to face Duskmon by using the wheels that were attached to the back of its paws.

"Whoa…" Tenten said in shock at the beast before her, "What is that thing and how does it have swords like those ones?"

The sound of rustling alerted everyone to a nearby bush and they were ready for whatever new beast might come out…at least until Shikamaru rolled out of the bush, covered in scraps, dirt, and leaves.

"That is the last time I try to tame a wild animal with my shadow." Shikamaru said as he slowly got up and dusted himself off while Choji and Ino rushed to his side, "At least I got myself free from KendoGarurumon."

The sound of growling had alerted Team 10 to find Duskmon standing before them, with Zaku trying to pry the demonic skull off his face.

"Ino!" Sakura cried out as she rushed towards the blonde, "You won't believe how glad I am to see you!"

"What's going on here?" Choji asked as he couldn't keep his eyes off Duskmon, "Who's that?"

"Believe it or not, that's Sasuke!" Sakura said, getting a shocked look from Team 10, "Whatever that shinobi we had faced before had done to him had given him some incredible, yet dark power! He calls himself Duskmon."

"Duskmon?" Shikamaru said as he saw KendoGarurumon keeping his focus on the demonic warrior, "Well, meet KendoGarurumon. We stumbled upon him brutally attacking another genin team before targeting Ino after she tried to save some unlucky fool."

Sakura looked to see KendoGarurumon and had a familiar feeling at seeing the giant wolf.

"This power…" the rosette said as she steeled herself while keeping her focus on the great beast, "it's just like BurningGreymon's!"

"You mean this things just like that dragon you saw in Nami?" Ino asked in shock before receiving a nod from Sakura, "Dear Kami!"

"So…" Duskmon said as he stared down KendoGarurumon, "you wish to be my next opponent?"

The demonic warrior suddenly tossed Zaku off to the side as the other two Oto ninjas had caught their injured teammate.

"I was getting bored with that ragdoll anyway." Duskmon said as he crossed his arms while blood red blades erupted from the two demonic skulls on his arms, "Let see if you are worthy enough to face the might…of an Uchiha!"

**Now that Sasuke has his own spirit, how will things turn out? How will the battle between Duskmon and KendoGarurumon fold out?**

**The reason I gave Sasuke the evil version of the Spirit of Darkness is that Ribenji is using him as his 'Champion' much like some of the other Digimon villains used others for their own gain, like Myotismon had done when searching for Kairi before doing the same thing as MaloMyotismon with the children he had his champion gather for him.**

**Don't forget to rate and review!**

**Ja ne.**


	14. Chapter 14

**I do not own Naruto or Digimon.**

"Spirit Fusion!" normal speech

_"Spirit Fusion!"_ thought/mind speak

**"Spirit Fusion!"** demon/Beast Possession/Inner Speech

Chapter 14

***Konohagakure; Hospital***

The Sandaime walked through the halls of the hospital after receiving news from one of his chunin about a badly injured genin they had gotten from the Forest of Death. Normally, any of the genin who had opened either or both scrolls early would have just been knocked out before taken out of that dreadful forest.

"What's the boy's status?" Hiruzen asked after one of the doctors approached him.

"From what we have seen," the doctor said as he looked through the pages attached to the clipboard in his hands, "the patient had suffered multiple lacerations, puncture wounds that actually pierced right into the bone, both shoulder blades have been broken, torn muscles, and even a severed spine. The evidence here actually contradicts an attack by a wolf as none of the wolves Mitarashi-san had listed fit the description."

"What of his teammates?" the Sandaime asked as he was told that the patient's teammates were dead.

"From what we've gathered from the corpses," the doctor began after pulling out two different clipboards and handed them to the elderly man, "the damages done on the bodies do show signs of the deaths being that of an animal attack as the bite marks we have recorded _are_ similar to that of any canine, if the shape and curvature are any proof, but the bodies also showed that they have been hit by a fire jutsu of sorts and cut with a sword. We have suspicions that this might have been the cause of another team, but the patient keeps saying that it was a giant white wolf with golden swords the size of the famed Kubikiribocho."

After looking through the data and pictures provided, the Sandaime then asked, "Did you have Inoichi go through a psyche evaluation with him?"

"We did." the doctor said with a nod, "Inoichi is going through the young man's mind as we speak."

Right at that moment, Inoichi had appeared from around the corner and said, "Ah, Sandaime-sama, I was about to summon you in order to inform you of what I had gathered from the patient."

"Go ahead and speak." Hiruzen ordered, knowing that whatever information they could get might be vital.

Inoichi nodded as he began, "When I had entered Mako Iwatori's mind, I had gone through his memories from the start of the second exam. It was just him and his team going through the Forest of Death after discovering that the team they had taken out had the same scroll that they did until they heard the sound of a large animal. They went to investigate to indeed find the very wolf that is described before one of them decided to try their chances against the beast…It proved to be a foolish mistake as the beast was more than they could handle as the beast had easily gained the upper hand with the use of its enhanced mobility in conjunction with those swords and killed Mako's teammates before my daughter and her teammates stopped KendoGarurumon, as the beast calls itself. But I have to wonder…"

The Yamanaka carefully glanced at the doctor as he then asked, "What would a beast like KendoGarurumon be doing in the Forest of Death? Should we send in a team to detain it?"

"That would be a good idea," the Sandaime said as he let out a regretful sigh, "but if we were to do anything at this moment, not only would we risk everyone's lives should Orochimaru keep good on his threat, but how would the other villages react if we were to save any of our own ninja after theirs had signed a waiver."

"So we risk everyone's lives whether or not we do anything about this?" Inoichi said as he pondered what would be worse, mass murder of Chunin hopefuls or political backlash.

After taking a careful look around the area, Inoichi carefully asked, "Do you think that KendoGarurumon could be…"

"Quite possible." Hiruzen said as he felt even more older than he actually was, "But I wouldn't think that they would let him openly use this power unless it was absolutely necessary."

Letting out another sigh, the Sandaime said, "I just hope that everything will be alright. Kami forbid Orochimaru gaining wind of this and using this against us."

Inochi looked out the window as he allowed his mind to drift off to his only daughter.

_Please be careful Ino…_

***Forest of Death***

Sparks flew as the surrounding teams watched Duskmon and KendoGarurumon clash violently, each side wanting to take down the other.

"You're going to have to do better than that if you wish to defeat me!" Duskmon called out as both of his blades began to glow ominously, "Lunar Plasma!"

Duskmon swung his swords as two curved beams were launched towards his opponent, only to see the beast before him to use his enhanced mobility to swiftly avoid the attack.

**"****Lupine Laser!"** KendoGarurumon roared out as he launched a few beams of white light from his mouth, only for the demonic warrior to block the full attack after one of the beams hit him.

After blocking the attack, Duskmon then charged towards the beast with his blades ready to taste the blood of his foe.

**"****Howling Star!"** the beast roared out once more as he sped towards his charging foe with his own blades ready for the attack.

Seeing this, Duskmon quickly jumped into the air to avoid the attack while managing to slash KendoGarurumon's armored back with one of his blades. He landed on his feet and quickly turned around to see the beast's mouth glowing.

**"****Lupine Laser!"** the beast growled out as he launched a powerful beam at the demonic warrior, who didn't have enough time to avoid the attack as the full force of said attack had launched him into a nearby tree.

"Sasuke!" Sakura cried out as she was about to rush out towards Duskmon before feeling Shikamaru grab her shoulder.

"What do you think you're doing!?" the young Nara said as the rosette looked at him, "We saw first-handed just how dangerous something like KendoGarurumon is and I also doubt that Duskmon would be in a mercy-giving mood if we interfere!"

"But that's still Sasuke!" Sakura cried out desperately as multiple red beams shot out from Duskmon's multiple eyes, with only a couple of them hitting KendoGarurumon.

The beast was still standing after taking the attack as he looked at Duskmon with a threatening growl.

"So you want some more?" Duskmon said as he stood on his feet, blades ready for the attack, "I'll be glad to show you the full might of the Uchiha!"

The demonic warrior then charged straight towards his opponent while swiftly dodging the beams of light that were launched at him.

_This power feel amazing!_ Sasuke thought as he had gotten close enough to slash at KendoGarurumon's front left leg before having to dodge one of the massive blades the beast had, _To think that this kind of power was just being wasted by those weak fools!_

Seeing that he had missed, KendoGarurumon quickly spun around and struck Duskmon with his armored tail. Not seeing the attack, Duskmon ended up taking a powerful hit to his face before the force caused him to tumble back a few yards.

Quickly bouncing onto his feet, Duskmon focused his eyes on the beast and said, "Deadly Gaze!"

Red beams flew from the eyes on Duskmon's body, but missed as KendoGarurumon quickly jumped to the side before the great beast rushed towards the demonic warrior.

"MOVE!" Shikamaru roared out as he, his teammates, and Sakura had to jump to the side to avoid the attack as the beams tore through the trees and shrubbery.

"Holy Hell!" said a new voice as everyone, save for the two combating forces, looked up to see Kiba and Akamaru jumped from a branch and landed near the trunk of a tree with Hinata and Shino following, "What was THAT!?"

Using her Byakugan, Hinata looked at the two combatants and said, "Their chakra is nothing like I've seen! The man in dark armor's chakra is black with a tone of pure darkness behind it while the wolf's…it's…it's similar to BurningGreymon's!"

"You mean that THAT wolf's power is just AS STRONG as that dragon back in Nami!?" Kiba roared out as he saw KendoGarurumon lunge towards Duskmon, ready to bite the demonic warrior's shoulder.

"We must stop them!" Shino ordered out as his beetles began to swarm dangerously around his hands.

"You shall not interfere with MY battle!" Duskmon roared out as he launched a curved beam of read energy towards them, "Lunar Plasma!"

Team 8 froze in place as they had no means of escaping the attack, but were surprised when they saw KendoGarurumon quickly sped in between them and that attack.

**"****RRRAAAAHHHH!"** the beast roared out as the attack connected on his side, causing it to falter its stance a bit before turning to face Duskmon.

_I see that you have managed _some _control over this new form, Naruto-san,_ Shino said as he watched KendoGarurumon shoot out a few beams of light from his mouth, _But you're acting more wildly than before, possessed or not._

Duskmon quickly avoided a couple of the beams before one had hit him dead center in the chest.

**"****Your fight is with me, you disgusting creature!"** KendoGarurumon growled out before speeding towards the fallen warrior and clamping down on Duskmon with his teeth.

Everyone watched as the giant wolf shook Duskmon around violently before tossing the demonic warrior into a nearby tree, causing a large chunk of bark to break apart from the tree due to the sheer force applied.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" Duskmon roared out as he aimed one of the demonic skulls on his arm and launched a ball of fire towards KendoGarurumon.

**"****Lupine Laser!"** KendoGarurumon roared out as he launched a beam towards the fireball, causing a powerful explosion to erupt when the two attacks collided into each other.

Using the dust to his advantage, Duskmon jumped through with a blade ready to slice his opponent, but KendoGarurumon quickly blocked the attack with one of his golden blades. The two combatants pushed against each other's blades in a fierce competition of strength, neither one of them wanting to back down and give their opponent the upper hand.

Seeing an opening, Duskmon then decided to kick KendoGarurumon underneath his jaw. The beast was forced to relent from the sudden strike, allowing the demonic warrior to give KendoGarurumon a nasty gash on his shoulder and side with a slice of his blood red blade.

"KendoGarurumon!" Choji cried out as blood began to pour out from the new injury and staining the dirt below.

"That was a cheap shot!" Kiba growled out at what Duskmon had done to the giant wolf.

Shino studied the two combatants as they fought and could see that although injured, KendoGarurumon wouldn't back down so easily, while Duskmon was showing signs of fatigue. Whoever the demonic warrior was clearly wasn't used to that power and was wearing themselves out, but refused to back down due to their pride.

_But how long could Naruto-san last?_ Shino thought as the fresh injury KendoGarurumon had looked pretty serious with not only the amount of blood pouring from it, but how the wolf had begun to slow down, even with the enhanced mobility through the wheels it possessed.

"This battle is just about over!" Duskmon said as he quickly rushed towards KendoGarurumon and going into a slide to avoid one of the beast's large blades, "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

Everyone watched in shock as KendoGarurumon ended up taking a fireball right in the face at point blank range, causing the beast serious injury as he tried to shake the intense heat and burning sensation off of his face.

"That bastard!" Kiba roared out in anger and was about to jump in and stop the two…but surprisingly, it was Shino who jumped in, beetles ready for the attack.

"Shino!" Hinata cried out, fearing her teammate's life as the Aburame had now exposed himself for both Duskmon and KendoGarurumon.

"This battle has gone long enough!" Shino said as he got into a stance of his own, "Your fight is with me now!"

"If you want to die that badly then," Duskmon said as his attention was turned towards Shino, "then I'll gladly end your life RIGHT NOW!"

KendoGarurumon was about to move in for another attack until…

"Mind Transfer Jutsu!" Ino called out, using one of her clan's jutsus, before passing out in Shikamaru's and Choji's arms.

The beast suddenly froze in place before falling onto its side.

_I thank you, Ino,_ Shino silently thought to himself, glad that he didn't have to fight a possessed Naruto while holding off Duskmon as well, _but please be careful as who knows what that particular Beast Spirit is doing to Naruto-san's mind._

***Mindscape***

Ino was standing inside the mindscape and opened her eyes to find herself inside of a sewer.

"Ew!" Ino said as she was disgusted by how the water was up to her ankles, "Never thought an animal's mind could be like this!"

With each step causing the water to slightly splash around, Ino traveled through the place in hopes of finding a way to control this beast. It was different than the few animals she had possessed a few times as each time was easier since she could override basic animal instinct.

That was when Ino had realized something: This wasn't the mind of a normal animal.

"Could KendoGarurumon be a summon?" Ino said to herself as she traveled deeper into the sewer-like mindscape, "If so, then who could have summoned him?"

A loud roar was heard from one of the hallways, causing Ino to hug herself one of the walls adjacent of the hallway. She quietly and quickly edged herself towards the hallway just enough to peek around the corner to find a confusing sight.

"A…forest?" Ino thought as she entered the strange forest that seemed to have slightly merged with the sewer, "This is quite the mind to be like this."

_*RRRRRRROOOOOOAAAAAAARRRRRRRR!*_

The sudden bellowing roar vibrated throughout the trees had caused Ino to instinctively jump into a nearby tree before the sound of shifting grass alerted the Yamanaka of a new presence.

_Must be KendoGarurumon…_Ino thought to herself as she waited as she saw a large shadow traveling by the trees until Ino got another shock to her eyes.

She forced herself to be quiet as there stood Naruto…but he was far more different than when she had last saw him. Naruto now had powerful muscles that not only twitched with fearful power, but had even made him nearly twice the size of Asuma. This new Naruto was also only wearing dark blue pants that were torn off at the knees while white fur adorned with light blue stripes covered his body with the exception of his chest and a small fraction of his slightly elongated face. On his back were two golden blades that were exactly like KendoGarurumon's.

**"****Where are you!?"** Naruto roared out, revealing sharpened teeth that were housed in his mouth, as he grabbed one of the golden swords and swung it with wild might, **"I'll tear this mind to shreds if I have to!"**

_How did Naruto get in here,_ Ino thought as she carefully studied the rampaging Naruto, _and what happened to him?_

"Help…me…"

Ino turned behind her as a raspy voice had caught her attention before a bright light had alerted her to Naruto as he had suddenly launched a beam of light near her direction.

**"****I know your nearby!"** Naruto roared out through the forest, **"I'll never let you near him!"**

Not wanting to be found, Ino swiftly and quietly dashed through the trees towards the direction of the raspy voice was last heard.

"What's going on here?" Ino asked herself as she charged as quickly as she could, hoping that Naruto hadn't found her…even if he could.

But something was familiar about how Naruto looked; The blades were easily KendoGarurumon's and the fur was similar to said beast. It looked like if Naruto and KendoGarurumon had…

"That's it!" Ino said with sudden realization, "That wasn't just Naruto, but also KendoGarurumon! But why would a beast like KendoGarurumon would fuse with Naruto."

"Help…me…" the raspy voice weakly called out, drawing Ino towards the right as a white light could be seen in the distance.

The Yamanaka quickly headed towards the light to find…

"Naruto!?" Ino spat out in surprise as she saw Naruto, looking the same as she had always remembered him, tied up to a tree by chains of brilliant white light, "But I thought…"

Looking at the Yamanaka with slight fear, Naruto then said, "Listen Ino, I need your help! I need to break out of these chains so that I can regain control of my body!"

"What do you mean _your_ body? I thought this was KendoGarurumon's?" Ino asked

"We don't have time for questions!" Naruto yelled with urgency, "I have to break out before-"

A bright light zipped by the tree Naruto was attached to and revealed the KendoGarurumon/Naruto hybrid stepping into the area.

**"****I finally found you,"** the wolf-like Naruto said with a sneer on his face, **"and just in time to keep you from helping him wrench control from me."**

Freaked out about seeing two different Narutos, Ino looked at both Narutos and asked, "Will someone seriously tell me just what the hell is going on here!?"

**"****I'll tell ya since this will be your last sight."** Beast Naruto said as he now had both swords in each hand, **"We are in the mind of Naruto Uzumaki and with the power that he was given, this boy foolishly thought that he could use this power to his own disposal after freeing himself from being a snake's meal, but thanks to that Kusa Shinobi, I, KendoGarurumon, have been given a chance to fully show this pathetic pup the TRUE power of Light!"**

Ino had let the information sink in until she looked at the Naruto chained to the tree and said, "You owe me an explanation after this."

"That is IF I get control again!" Naruto said as he started to yank on the chains with what might he could gather.

**"****Oh no you don't!"** KendoGarurumon roared out as he charged towards Naruto with both blades crossed, **"I'll just kill you and take control of this body myself!"**

Thinking quickly, Ino quickly charged towards KendoGarurumon and gave the beast hybrid a kick to his midsection that merely caused him to jump back a few feet while the Yamanaka jumped on one leg and held her throbbing ankle.

"Talk about having rock-hard abs!" Ino said as she placed her foot on the ground after the pain subsided.

"Admire his body later!" Naruto called out as he continued to struggle against the chains, "I need help NOW!"

"R-Right!" Ino said as she was about to help Naruto until a beam of light zipped by her and barely missing Naruto as some of the tree was burned off.

_Dammit!_ Ino thought as she was defenseless when she used her clan's jutsus while KendoGarurumon was still just as powerful as he was outside of Naruto's mind, _How can I fight him like this!_

_*RRRRRROOOOOOAAAAARRRRR!*_

Another roar echoed through the woods as a new figure dropped in from the sky. Like KendoGarurumon, this figure also looked like Naruto and was the twice the size of Asuma. However, this Naruto had reptilian features with red scales shining all over his body while a long tail was seen from behind this Naruto and orange wings moved about, giving them the appearance of being made out of fire, were attached to his back Along with his sharpened claw-like hands, this Naruto had triangular turrets attached to his forearms that seemed to spin on their own.

**"****You've had your time, KendoGarurumon!"** this new Naruto said with a bellowing voice, **"But I'll show you that I, BurningGreymon, deserves the right to control this vessel!"**

The two monstrous Narutos then began to clash with each other violently as fire and light seemed to dance around the forest in a frighteningly beautiful dance.

"Now's our chance!" Naruto called out, grabbing Ino's attention, "We have to hurry before the others get here!"

"OTHERS!?" Ino cried out in pure shock, "How can a person like you have multiple personalities like those two!?"

"Freedom first, questions later!" Naruto barked out as he pulled against the chains with all his might.

Ino quickly grabbed a chain and began to pull on it with as much power as she could muster, but the chains were too strong.

"This isn't working!" Ino said as KendoGarurumon and BurningGreymon continued their clash as thunder-like booms echoed each time they clashed, "I need something to cut it with!"

"Like what?" Naruto asked as he continued his struggle, "I don't have any weapons!"

"Then think of something I can use to cut the chains!" Ino countered before she had to duck away to the side as flames were flying about, "This is your mind, so you can at control it however you like!"

Panicked, Naruto tried to think of something that can help Ino set him free, but he didn't know what could work. A kunai wouldn't be sharp enough to-

_*poof!*_

Ino looked to see a kunai knife falling in front of the tree that Naruto was chained to. Acting quickly, the Yamanaka dove near the tree and grabbed the kunai and raised it high into the air before stabbing it into a chain link.

_*klink!*_

Seeing that the chain wasn't cut, Ino tried to stab the chain again before she tried to saw it.

"What the hell, Naruto?" Ino growled out as she looked at the kunai, "Why isn't this cutting?"

"I was trying to think of something that could cut this and I'm sure that a simple kunai knife wouldn't do the job!" Naruto said with a panicked look on his face, "If you hadn't noticed, I'm trying to regain control of my body while those two are fighting each other for control over my body!"

Taking a couple of quick, deep breaths, Ino looked at Naruto and said, "This is _your_ mind, Naruto, and you can control anything as you are the dominant personality…at least I think you are…You can make anything! Even make this kunai sharp enough to cut this chain without any effort!"

Taking the Yamanaka's words in, Naruto began to focus on something that would work on the chains.

Ino took a look behind her shoulders to find different pairs of glowing eyes before she returned her attention to her fellow blond and said, "Not meaning to rush you, but can you PLEASE hurry up!"

_*poof!*_

Seeing a battle ax appearing out of thin air, Ino grabbed the handle with both hands and lifted the weapon as she twisted her body.

With a mighty swing, Ino heard the chain move a bit before looking to see that the ax she was provided was doing some damage to it. She continued to chop at the chains as they were being chipped away with each strike.

"You couldn't think of anything sharper?" Ino asked as she let the ax blade touch the ground, worn out from swinging the heavy weapon.

"This chain was made out of KendoGarurumon's own power!" Naruto answered as said beast was still clashing with his opponent, "It'll have to do!"

Groaning at the answer, Ino gave the ax a mighty heave before slamming it into the chain.

_*chink!*_

After removing the ax, Ino smiled in victory to see that the chain link she had struck had actually broke enough to be maneuvered to disconnect from the rest.

"Alright," Ino said as she spun the ax in her hands and pulled the weapon back, "just one more hit should do the trick!"

The Yamanaka gave the weapon a mighty last swing that would have destroyed…

_*p-ting!*_

"Gah!" Ino cried out as the ax was blasted out of her hands by a beam of light through the courtesy of KendoGarurumon, who was now charging towards her with BurningGreymon following him.

**"****I will not lose to the likes of some pathetic girl!"** KendoGarurumon roared out as he grabbed one of his large blades and swung it towards Ino, but missed as the Yamanaka quickly jumped away in time.

**"****Especially to one who is as weak as you are."** BurningGreymon growled out as he aimed his turrets towards Ino, **"Pyro Barrage!"**

The Yamanaka quickly took cover behind a tree while glancing over to find KendoGarurumon approaching Naruto. The beast hybrid held a hand out as a bright light flew from his clawed hand and made contact with the broken chain link.

_He's repairing it!_ Ino thought as she saw the broken chain link regenerating in the light it was enveloped with, _I need to break Naruto free, but how can I do that if KendoGarurumon can repair it if it gets damaged?_

A new thought entered Ino's mind as that thought turned into a plan!

_Time to fight fire with fire!_ Ino thought as she jumped away and dodged the many small beams of fire as BurningGreymon kept up with his attack.

The Yamanako quickly to cover behind one tree after another while maneuvering towards where KendoGarurumon was.

"Hey, KendoGarurumutt!" Ino called out as she received a threatening glare from the beast hybrid, before countering by holding one eye open and sticking her tongue out in a taunting manner, "Betcha can't hit me!"

**"****You dare mock me!"** KendoGarurumon growled out in anger as his mouth began to glow, **"I shall destroy you! Lupine Laser!"**

Ino jumped away in time for the beam of light to miss her before having to take cover as BurningGreymon launched another barrage of flames from is turrets.

**"****I shall destroy both you and the Hyuga girl!"** the draconic hybrid bellowed out as he kept his attack going, **"You both wish to be this foolish mortal's mate, but you both are too weak to even come to terms with your desires!"**

"Wait a minute!" Naruto said is surprise, "Ino's got a crush on me as well as Hinata!?"

_Guess he never knew about Hinata…_Ino thought as she jumped to a different tree that was right next to the tree Naruto was chained to.

"Over here, Dog-Breath!" Ino called out as she saw KendoGarurumon charging another beam in his mouth.

**"****Lupine Laser!"** the beast hybrid roared out as he launched a powerful beam of light from his mouth.

Ino smirked in victory as she jumped away in time for the beam of light to directly hit the chains that held Naruto against the tree…with enough force to completely break them.

**"****No!"** KendoGarurumon roared out in anger as he looked at Ino, **"You tricked me!"**

Before another move was made, a new figure appeared in the form of a man that was on equal height with the trees wearing snow white armor wielding two large, golden curved blades while the headgear he had looked like it was made out of a white wolf's face that hid all but his mouth and the whitish-blond hair that could be seen underneath.

"That is enough!" the man roared out with authority as he stared down both hybrids with his ruby red eyes.

To Ino's surprise, both Naruto hybrids backed away a bit before vanishing into the shadows within the forest.

"Okami-jii-san!" Naruto cheered as he slowly got to his feet as the warrior turned to face both blonds, "Am I ever glad to see you!"

"I am glad as well," the warrior said with a gruff, yet noble tone in his voice, "but I am a bit disappointed at how careless you were with your fight against that shinobi. You had dropped your guard too soon, allowing her to place that seal on you."

"Sorry…" Naruto said as it stung him to see the look of disappointment on the armored man's face.

"Now hold on!" Ino said as she caught the man's attention, "I'm sure that Naruto didn't mean to get jumped by KendoGarurumon, but he's only just a Genin."

"While you are right," the armored warrior admitted before letting out a sigh, "but however, the new seal that was placed on him had caused the power we granted him to go out of control, allowing KendoGarurumon to possess him and kill some of the ninja that are taking the exams as well."

Seeing the haunted look on the Naruto's face, Ino then said, "What if I erased those memories as I'm sure that Naruto couldn't live with the fact that he had killed someone. I should know as my first kill wasn't…pleasant to go through."

"Don't." Naruto said, getting a surprised look from Ino, "I want to keep them…as a reminder as to what will happen if I take the powers I have too lightly. Erasing the memory will just cause me to make the same arrogant mistake…but with even worse consequences."

The Yamanaka was speechless as she had never seen Naruto, the biggest goofball ninja in Konoha, look or act so…so…mature!

"It time for you both to exit the mind." the armored warrior said as he sheathed both blades behind his back, "Duskmon is still out there fighting your friend, Shino."

"I need to stop Duskmon!" Naruto said before he fell onto one knee, weakened by his ordeal.

"Your body has lost a lot of energy," the warrior said as he helped the small boy onto his feet, "but I shall lend you a portion of mine to last long enough to end the battle; it won't be much, but it'll be enough."

"Thanks!" Naruto said with a smile on his face as he soon vanished, leaving just Ino and the armored warrior.

"You have my thanks, Ino Yamanaka," the warrior said as he grabbed said girl's attention, "but you also have the thanks of the other Ancient Warriors for your deeds."

Blushing a bit from the comment, Ino said, "I was just trying to help…but I do have a question that you might answer."

Getting a nod from the warrior, Ino then asked, "How did…How did Naruto come across this power?"

The warrior was silent for a moment before he said, "I cannot reveal much as Naruto, and Naruto alone, can reveal the full answer to your question. But I will reveal that my comrades and I had saw a small child in need of those that he can call friends as well as family."

Although she wanted the full answer, Ino nodded in respect as Naruto was going to explain some things.

"I better get going," Ino said nervously as she was wondering what had happened outside Naruto's mind, "but thank you for answering my question…"

"AncientGarurumon." the warrior answered as he sensed Ino's hidden question, "I bid you a safe journey, young child."

Ino smiled a bit before she had vanished after making a seal with her hands.

"Thank you," AncientGarurumon said with a confident smile on his face, "for being there…"

***Forest of Death***

Shino had kept his focus on Duskmon after dodging a blade and seeing that Ino was successful in entering KendoGarurumon's mind.

One less opponent for him to deal with…

"Deadly Gaze!" Duskmon roared out as red beams shot from the eyes on his body and hit Shino directly.

However, Shino's body suddenly turned into small beetles as the Aburame suddenly appeared behind the demonic warrior.

Duskmon swung a blade and bisected his opponent, but Shino's body was turned into another swarm of beetles.

"Fight me you coward!" Duskmon roared out in anger before seeing a swarm a beetles flying towards him.

Quickly firing more beams, the demonic warrior had dispersed the swarm to see Shino standing before him.

"Are you just another swarm of pathetic beetles?" Duskmon asked with a threatening aura, "If so, then I can just find someone else who would be worthy enough to fight me!"

Shino remained silent for a brief moment until he then said, "I have already won."

"What do you mean!?" the demonic warrior shouted as his body began to heave from fatigue.

"My beetles specifically feed on chakra," the Aburama coolly said as he pushed his sunglasses up, "and by attacking my Insect Clones, not only have you trapped yourself with my beetles crawling around waiting my next command, but you have also allowed some of the beetles to gain access underneath your armor and feed off of your chakra."

Letting out a growl, Duskmon swung both blades in a circle as he called out, "Lunar Plasma!"

The blades soon released blood red beams that began to spin around Duskmon, destroying all of the beetles surrounding him before the demonic warrior then charged towards Shino, who was unprepared due to the amount of speed and energy that Duskmon had.

"Time to end this!" Duskmon said as he was about to bisect the Aburame before him until…

_*klash!*_

"I believe we should start our match again where we had left off!" said a familiar voice as everyone saw Lobomon holding off Duskmon's blade with his own beam sword.

"Lobomon!" Sakura cheered out after seeing said warrior appear out of the light that had enveloped KendoGarurumon.

Ino slowly woke up as Choji helped her keep steady on her feet.

"How did it go?" Shikamaru asked as he watched Duskmon and Lobomon battle each other with their blades, "What was it like inside KendoGarurumon's…Lobomon's…whoever's mind?"

"It's quite surprising, that's for sure…" Ino answered as she wasn't sure if she should reveal that both KendoGarurumon and Lobomon are the same person as well as Naruto.

"You've become weaker." Duskmon said as he was gaining some ground as he and his opponent were in a pushing contest with their blades, "You've burned up too much chakra!"

"I'm not the only one who's used too much chakra!" Lobomon countered with a smirk on his face as was soon gaining ground.

"Even with what little chakra I have left," Duskmon said as he added extra effort with his pushing, "I WILL destroy you! Deadly Gaze!"

Not expecting the surprise attack, Lobomon was hit at point blank range as Duskmon's large eye that was at the center of his body shot out a beam that had impacted itself against the Warrior of Light's chest.

The attack had launched Lobomon back and caused him to slide towards Sakura and Team 10 as the center of his armor was destroyed by the attack, revealing a white shirt that has a charred spot at the center of his chest.

"Lobomon!" Sakura called out as she and Ino rushed towards the fallen warrior's side, seeing the blood slowly crawling from his mouth.

"Damn!" the injured warrior spat out as he cough out a bit of blood, "That attack did quite a bit of damage."

"I suggest that you stay down like the mutt that you are." Duskmon said as he slowly approached the fallen Lobomon with a lone blade ready to end his opponent's life, "At least you will die by the hands of an Uchiha!"

Seeing just how close the demonic warrior was, Sakura quickly jumped and tackled Duskmon into a hug…tears falling from her eyes.

"Please…*sob*…stop this!" Sakura said as she tightened her hug around the demonic warrior's body, "Please stop this…Sasuke-kun!"

Looking at the rosette, Duskmon then suddenly saw just no reason to end Lobomon's life…this time.

"Consider yourself lucky that I am busy with other important matters," Duskmon said as the red blade retreated back into the skull that housed it, "or I would have ended your life. But next time…I WILL kill you."

The demonic warrior was soon enveloped in a light before fading away to reveal Sasuke, with Sakura still holding him in a hug.

"Sasuke-kun!" the rosette said with slight joy as the Uchiha was back to normal.

"S…Sasuke?" Lobomon said as he saw Sakura trying to keep the now unconscious Sasuke from hitting the ground before he too saw his vision darken.

Everyone watched as Lobomon passed out with Ino trying to wake him as she gently slapped his face while propping his head on her knees.

A bright light soon enveloped the Warrior of Light as some of the ninjas were ready for another fight until…

"No way…" Kiba said as he saw the light fade away to reveal a familiar person as everyone had a look of surprise on their faces, save for both Ino and Shino.

Sakura stared in pure shock and confusion as the light soon reveal the last person she would have expected to see as Lobomon.

"Naruto?"

**Well...that happened. How will the Konoha Rookies react now that they had discovered Naruto's secret? And what of Sasuke? Don't forget to rate and review!**

**Ja ne.**


	15. Chapter 15

**I do not own Naruto or Digimon as they belong to their respective owners.**

"Spirit Fusion!" normal speech

_"Spirit Fusion!"_ thought/mind speak

**"Spirit Fusion!"** demon/Beast Spirit possession/Inner speech

Chapter 15

***Naruto's Mindscape***

"What are we going to do?"

"They saw him reveal his true form!"

_What…_Naruto thought as he was starting to come around, _What happened?_

Memories of past events had flashed through his mind as a sudden burst of realization had given him enough energy to jolt awake.

"Sasuke!" Naruto said as he quickly tried to get to his feet, but had only managed to sit up as his body was aching.

"Easy there!" AncientMegatheriumon said as AncientKazemon sat next to the blond, "Both your mind and body are under some stress due to what had transpired."

Naruto let himself rest for a brief moment to gather his bearings when he had noticed something.

"Where are the others?" Naruto said as only four of the Legendary Warriors were present.

"AncientSphinxmon is looking at the seal that the shinobi had place on you." AncientGarurumon said as AncientKazemon helped the blond onto his feet, "That seal had done something to a few of the others."

"We need to go check on them!" Naruto said before he lost feelings to his legs as AncientKazemon had caught him before he fell.

"Do not rush yourself!" AncientMegatheriumon said as he shrunk himself down to the size of a horse, "We shall take you to them while you get some rest."

AncientKazemon hoisted the blond onto the ram's back before the group headed off toward their desired location.

After going through some turns, Naruto looked at the others and asked, "Who was that and why did he transform into Sasuke?"

The Legendary Warriors were silent until AncientGarurumon broke the uncomfortable silence.

"That was Duskmon and like the forms you adopt for each element," the Warrior of Light said as he remained focused of the path ahead, "he too is a part of our power…but at a more, corrupted level."

"Corrupted?" Naruto asked in confusion.

"Yes." AncientMegatheriumon said as the group took a tunnel to the left, "You see, you are not the first to wield our power."

The Warrior of Ice let out a small, nostalgic sigh as he then continued, "Long ago, we had sense the actions of a foe that we had defeated long ago. We were still weakened at the time as our power had been separated into the Spirit Forms you use today so we had chosen champions from our neighboring world."

"Unfortunately, Lucemon had managed to corrupt not only AncientSphinxmon's forms but also one of the three divine beings of that world." AncientGarurumon said stoically, "From there, we had also lost AncientMermaimon, AncientWisetmon, AncientTroiamon, and AncientVolamon to that divine being that became Lucemon's servant, Cherubimon. The remaining five champions had to face them of many different occasions, even losing AncientKazemon's and AncientMegatheriumon's power before regaining them once more."

"While the powers of Earth, Water, Wood, and Metal were just inhabiting empty shells," AncientKazemon said with a saddened tone, "AncientSphinxmon's champion had suffered a slight accident that allowed his own spirit to enter our world where Cherubimon infused him with the corrupted power of Darkness. AncientGarurumon's champion had fought tooth and nail before AncientShpinxmon's champion was set free from Cherubimon's control, allowing him to obtain the true power of Darkness."

Naruto remained quiet as the information sunk into his mind before he asked, "So how is Duskmon still around if I have AncientSphinxmon's power?"

"That we do not know," AncientGarurumon said as he crossed his arms, "but we can only guess just who was responsible in giving Sasuke that kind of power…"

"You don't mean!?" AncientKazemon asked with dread in her voice.

AncientGarurumon nodded grimly as he then said, "That's right…Lucemon."

Before another word was said, Naruto gasped out in horror at what he saw as he and the Legendary Warriors had made it to their destination.

"What happened to them!?" Naruto asked out as AncientMermaimon, AncientWisetmon, AncientTroiamon, and AncientVolcamon were bound to the walls in a combination of midnight black chains and violet flames while AncientGreymon was bound to the ceiling by the same chains and flames.

"The new seal on your body had done this to them." AncientSphinxmon said as he sat before the group.

"Jiji!" Naruto called out as he jumped off AncientMegatheriumon's back and carefully walked towards the Warrior of Darkness.

"It is good to see you once more, my Grandson," AncientSphinxmon said as he stood up on his feet, "but we have more pressing matters to attend to."

The armored cat used his tail to point towards the Kyuubi's cage to reveal that the entrance now had a giant stone slab in front of it, barring any form of sight in or out of the cage behind it.

"I have studied the seal placed on you to find that it was originally supposed to block you from not only accessing the Kyuubi's chakra, but your own as well." AncientSphinxmon said before his tail pointed to each of the chained Legendary Warriors, "However, it appears that the seal had also interfered with our power as well as you no longer have access to the elements of Fire and Water, nor can you obtain the elements of Earth, Metal, and Wood."

"How do we set them free then?" Naruto asked as the sight of AncientGreymon's bound form frightened him.

"I have been looking into the matter myself," the Warrior of Darkness said as he approached AncientVolcamon and observed the chain, "and aside from an outside source that had the knowledge and skill to safely remove this seal, I do have one idea that might possibly work."

AncientSphinxmon then turned his attention to Naruto and said, "But for now, Naruto, get yourself some much needed rest as who knows what trials await you. We shall call for you should we find anything."

Naruto was still before giving the Warrior of Darkness a reluctant nod before he had vanished.

"I hope you plan works." AncientGarurumon said as he looked at his bound comrades.

"So do I." AncientSphinxmon said as he had some doubts about this plan he had, "So do I."

***Forest of Death***

The moon shone brightly as the Konoha Rookies, save for Team Gai, were sitting around a campfire as Naruto and Sasuke were at opposite ends of the group.

"Guess now would be a good time to ask just what the hell had happened." Shikamaru said as he let out a sigh, "I mean, you all just saw what had happened, right?"

"How could we not!?" Kiba said with a loud growl in his voice, "We just saw that KendoGarurumon monster change into that Lobomon character and then into Naruto while that creep Duskmon turns out to be Sasuke! What the hell DIDN'T happen!?"

The group was silent once more until everyone looked at both Shino and Sakura as they sat next to each other.

"W-What's going on?" Sakura asked with slight fear, "I only saw Sasuke change into Duskmon and I'm just as surprised as you guys to find out that Lobomon was really Naruto!"

"But aren't they your teammates?" Choji asked in slight confusion, "How _could_ you not know of this?"

"Whatever had happened to Sasuke was actually just recent, and Naruto…" the rosette answered with slight hesitation when she mentioned her blond teammate, "I've been working on getting Naruto's trust back…I honestly don't know much about him and I've even thought that the Naruto we've been seeing was just…pretending to be an idiotic loudmouth."

Kiba then turned his attention towards Shino and asked, "What about you, Shino? Did you know about Naruto and Sasuke's powers?"

The Aburame in question remained silent until he said, "Much like Sakura, I had recently discovered Sasuke's power and as for Naruto-san's…that is not my secret to tell."

With his anger growing, Kiba quickly stood up and said, "Then what about when we had saw Agunimon, Ranamon, or Beetlemon!? We could have been KILLED when Agunimon changed into BurningGreymon! Were they Naruto as well!?"

"Kiba, please!" Hinata said as she stood in front of the angered Inuzuka, "You might give our location away! I'm sure that both Naruto-kun and Shino had reasons to keep this from us!"

"And what reason could be far more important than the lives of your comrades!?" Kiba argued back with a sharp and viciously harsh tone, causing Hinata to visibly step back with a retreating flinch.

The look of fear in Hinata's eyes had drained Kiba of nearly all his anger, causing him to regretfully sigh and said, "I'm…I'm sorry, Hinata-chan. It's just that…"

"Some of us had spent more time with Naruto back in the academy and had never given any kind of thought that the same goofball we know could have such an impacting surprise." Shikamaru said as he and Choji could easily remember the fun times they had with the now unconscious blond, "No one could have expected Naruto to have _that_ kind of power; it would be like if a civilian adult awakening the legendary Rinnegan just out of the blue."

The crackling sound of the campfire echoed through the group for an uncomfortable moment until Ino looked at Sakura and asked, "So Sakura…do you think you could tell us about how that warrior suddenly changed into Sasuke?"

The rosette took a quick look at both of her unconscious teammates before she said, "Well…it started when Naruto ran off into a different part of the forest to go to the bathroom. When he came back, Sasuke saw that he was a fake and quickly took care of him before Naruto showed up…but this one was also a fake as this fake Naruto knew far too much for our Naruto. When Sasuke faced this fake Naruto, we were forced to retreat as the Kusa shinobi was for too powerful for us as she kept chasing us. We thought we were done for when Lobomon suddenly appear saying that Naruto had sent him."

Sakura sighed with slight anger at herself as she then said, "I should have seen the signs: both Lobomon and Agunimon knew the Shadow Clone Jutsu, Beetlemon's reaction at seeing Agunimon…and even how Naruto knew about me telling Kazemon that he was dead weight."

Seeing the rosette curl into herself with guilty depression, Ino carefully placed a comforting hand on Sakura's shoulder.

"When Lobomon thought he had won," Sakura continued as tears form in her eyes as she replaced the image of Lobomon with Naruto, "that Kusa shinobi suddenly ambushed him and placed some sort of seal on Lobomon…on Naruto."

_That seal must have done something to cause Naruto-san to lose control like that,_ Shino thought as he stole a glance towards the unconscious blond before seeing that Shikamaru seemed to have the same idea as he suddenly approached Naruto.

After the Nara had unzipped the jacket and removed Naruto's shirt, he couldn't help but let out an awestruck gasp.

"What is it? Is something wrong with Naruto?" Sakura asked as she, and the others gathered around Naruto with Akamaru watching over Sasuke.

The others soon had slapped looks on their faces as upon Naruto's lower abdomen was a series of writing with kanji overlapping each other in an eerie manner. A swirl was seen dead center of the jumbled mess of different writings and marks.

"Oh my God…" Choji gasped out at the complex mess as he couldn't tell where some marks end or even began.

With some of her knowledge of basic seals and sealing methods, Sakura knew that whatever the seals were doing to Naruto were now badly messed up due to the seal that the Kusa shinobi had placed on her teammate.

_But which seal is her's?_ Sakura asked herself as she studied the mess of ink on Naruto's stomach.

"Damn," Shikamaru said with a cringe on his face after inspecting the seals, "this actually became more complicated than I had originally thought."

"What do you mean?" Ino asked with a slightly frightened look on her face, "I mean, these _are_ highly advanced seals on Naruto's gut, but could whatever that Kusa shinobi had done be any worse?"

"I'm not sure as I doubt any of us could easily make heads or tails of the seals on Naruto and if we try anything…" Shikamaru said as he stood up, leaving the others to contemplate the obvious answer, "I'm have to go see a man about a horse so be alert for anything and should things really go sour…open the scrolls they gave us."

"But what about the exam?" Kiba asked as he pondered why the Nara before would even suggest throwing away a chance to go up in rank.

"The exams would be worth nothing if Naruto's power go haywire on us again." Shino said as he too stood up and walked towards Shikamaru, "Although Ino was able to stop KendoGarurumon, I don't think we could be that lucky again."

Everyone was silent at the idea of what could happen as Shikamaru, Shino, and Choji soon vanishing into the surrounding trees and darkness before Kiba returned to keeping an eye on Sasuke while Hinata and Ino went to a different part of the area, leaving Sakura to watch over Naruto…and to her own thoughts.

_Why would Naruto keep such a secret from us?_ the rosette thought as she got the discarded jacket back on the blond and zipping it back up as the shirt remained on the ground, _Doesn't he trust us by now?_

**"****I'm actually not surprised by something like this."** Inner Sakura said as her voice rung through the rosette's skull, **"Especially considering everything that had happened with what you and this team had done."**

Sakura instinctively placed a hand on her cheek where Ranamon…where Naruto had slapped her during their mission to Nami.

Part of her was angry at Naruto for not only striking her that day, but for keeping something like this from her after saying that she needed to earn his trust again to make up some of the abuse she had given him.

_Trust…_Sakura suddenly thought as a broader picture soon formed in her mind as she could see herself continuing her abuse towards Naruto for 'lying' and 'trying to be better than her Sasuke-kun' when he just needed help or advice, _Something that is so powerful that it can actually go two different ways._

**"****You and I both wouldn't argue that it was a good idea for Naruto to keep this a secret as who knows how people could react and what could happen if he had lost control of this kind of power."** Inner Sakura said as she crossed her arms, **"That would be like if Naruto had the Kyuubi sealed inside of him instead of the Yondaime killing it."**

The rosette couldn't help but think on what her inner self had said before she had remembered something from a book she had once read.

_The Kyuubi is one of the nine Bijus, living chakra in the form of monstrous beasts,_ Sakura thought as her eyes widened at the implication she was drawing to, silently praying that it couldn't be what she thought it was.

Not too far off from the campsite, Shino, Shikamaru, and Choji were on their way back when Shikamaru suddenly stopped.

"Before we return to the others," Shikamaru said as he grabbed Choji's and Shino's attention, making them stop and face him, "we need to talk."

"If this is about-"

"We know of the ninth tenant," Choji said with a firm voice while sending the Aburame a hidden message, "and we do know the real difference between sheathe and sword."

Shino remained silent, studying the duo before him for any signs that would tell him that they're both lying.

"We're not like the oblivious villagers or some of the ignorant dumbasses within Konoha's forces." Shikamaru added as he knew that the Aburame was trying to detect any form of fabrication, "If anything, Naruto should be the one worshiped considering the two things about Naruto."

"So you do have the same suspicions about whom Naruto-san's parents are as I do." Shino said as he relaxed after sensing nothing wrong, "However, I still won't tell you about Naruto-san's powers as I am still unsure if I should trust you both with this secret."

Choji said nothing as he wanted Shikamaru to be leading with the negotiations and the two knew not to be too forceful as such a tactic would be similar to stirring up a hornet's nest.

"However…" Shino added as he pushed his glasses on his nose, "I will reveal that Naruto-san does have more tenants than the ninth, but that is all I shall say as what I have reveal may already breached the trust I have with Naruto-san."

Shikamaru nodded as he then said, "Our lips are sealed and we wouldn't breathe a single word of this."

"I'll hold you to it." Shino said before he turned towards the camp, "I best go check on the others as they might begin to worry about us."

Once Shino was far away, Choji turned to his close friend and said, "Seems like there's more to Naruto's power than we had thought."

"Yeah." Shikamaru added as the whole ordeal was just too troublesome to him, "I'm sure that Naruto might let us know in good time as Shino is right about this being _Naruto's_ secret."

"But what about…" Choji asked as he wanted to avoid mentioning the Kyuubi.

"I'm sure that whatever this power Naruto has is capable of holding the Kyuubi back." Shikamaru answered as he saw Shino sit next to Naruto, "Now let's go get some rest as this whole day's been troublesome from the start."

Choji couldn't argue as this day was one crazy thing after another and he was feeling fatigued due to the excitement of past events.

At the camp, Ino and Hinata were sitting next to each other and carefully watched the fire dance before them.

"Today's been something…" Ino said as she turned her attention to Hinata, "…wouldn't you say."

Hinata silently nodded before she said, "N-Naruto-kun was…something."

It was briefly silent between the two girls until Hinata said, "I had confess my love to Naruto-kun without even knowing it."

As if sensing Ino's confusion, Hinata continued, "Back during our mission to help Naruto-kun's team with their mission, Shino and I had taken what we had believed to be a fatal attack for Agunimon and I told Aguni-san to tell Naruto-kun that I loved him. Looking back…I realized that I had confessed my love to him if Naruto-kun was indeed Agunimon."

Ino quietly chuckled a little bit before she said, "A lot of people knew of your crush on Naruto…but only a few know that you're not the only one."

Hinata quickly looked to see a tiny blush form on the Yamanaka's cheeks as she then asked, "D-Do you…"

Ino smiled a bit before she said, "Yeah…When Daddy told me about how difficult of a life Naruto had considering that he was born right on the night of the Kyuubi Attack. Adults are stupid…"

Ino looked up at the shadows dancing in the limbs above and continued, "Naruto is always smiling, even through the bad, and he's just so cheery, so brave, so…"

"Troubled." Hinata sadly finished as Ino closed her eyes and lowered her head.

"Yeah…" Ino said as she opened her eyes and watched the flames dance wildly with emotion, "Surprisingly, I admire Naruto for being able to handle everything's that's been thrown at him and still get up. Bravery, stupidity, or whatever it is, Naruto always seems to fight _for_ others and is willing to become stronger _for_ them as well."

Ino chuckled a bit as she continued, "When I was in Naruto's mind when KendoGarurumon had control over him, I saw him weak and helpless and…it was almost frightening to see someone like Naruto in such a state. What made it worse was that inside Naruto's mind, KendoGarurumon had taken on a monstrous form of Naruto that was nothing but pure rage and bloodlust…It was the same deal when BurningGreymon arrived."

Hinata shivered a bit at the thought of some mindless beast taking control of Naruto and going on a rampage with the blond being unable to stop it.

Wanting to get her mind elsewhere, Ino looked at Hinata and asked, "So what do we do from here now that Naruto and the two of us knows we like him like that."

Hinata wasn't sure as she really did love Naruto, but she didn't want to take to be greedy and keep him all to herself. But at the same time, the Hyuga didn't want to lose Naruto to some other girl because she was too much of a coward to talk _to_ Naruto.

Sensing Hinata's turmoil, Ino said, "How about we wait until Naruto's awake and tell him about how we both feel about him and let him decide on what to do. If he wants to date you, then I'll be there for you both and if he wants to date me instead, I'll still be there for you as I will admit that you are prettier than me and some guys do like the shy and cute type."

Hinata nodded as Ino's idea did sound as it would be a win-win: she either gets Naruto as her boyfriend, or she gets a new friend.

***Sasuke's Mindscape***

Sasuke opened his eyes to find himself in the Uchiha district that was covered in shadows with some of the buildings either badly run down or completely destroyed into unrecognizable rubble. The Uchiha continued to walk as if some force was driving him to travel a certain path.

Before he could ponder where he was going, Sasuke then saw his own home…but something was different about it.

His house was replaced by a lustrous mansion that not even the Hokage's Mansion could be considered its equal. The mansion had winged skeletal statues that were positioned as if to guard the entrance of the mansion while two fountains that were next to the ash black walkway that had statues of Ribenji in the middle with water pouring out of his open palms.

"Greetings." said a familiar voice as Sasuke saw Ribenji fly towards him before landing right before him, "Hope it was alright if I had adjusted a few things to my liking."

"Where am I?" Sasuke ordered as he carefully studied the statues, "This doesn't look like the Forest of Death."

"That's because this is _your_ mind, Sasuke." Ribenji answered with a smile before walking towards the mansion and motioning the Uchiha to follow him, "You are still in the Forest of Death where the others are watching over your weakened form."

As if sensing Sasuke's growing agitation, Ribenji quickly said, "I had made a _slight_ error with granting you that gift as your body wasn't used to such power as you had burned off so much chakra so recklessly. But that is something that can easily be corrected in due time with enough training."

"Are you going to take it back then?" Sasuke asked as he narrowed his eyes.

"Oh heavens no!" the angelic being said as he turned to face the young boy, "We just need to work on your chakra and control for you to use it as much as you want. However…"

An angered scowl formed on Ribenji's face as he then said, "I had finally saw that those traitors are there."

A small table soon with a tea set on it and two chairs at opposite ends soon appeared before the two.

"Allow me to give you a little history lesson about myself." Ribenji said as he sat on one chair as Sasuke sat at the other end, "You see I was once a mighty king and a benevolent ruler, long ago. It was far before the time of the person by the name of Hagaromo Otsutsuki, or the Sage of Six Paths as this world's legends call him, and I had led many a century of peace as I was a fair and just ruler…at least until my own guards had betrayed me."

After pouring Sasuke and himself some tea, Ribenji then continued, "I had given them a mere fraction of my power, one-tenth to be exact, and they had master this power at an astounding rate that I had given them the name of The Legendary Warriors as none could surpass them…but I had the unfortunate luck of them using that very power I had given them against me."

Ribenji took a small sip of his tea as he continued once more, "Those traitorous bastards had turned the gift I had given them into some perverse monstrosity and sealed me away within the very center of my OWN world!"

"So how did you escape?" Sasuke asked as he took a sip of his own tea, noting that it was seductively delicious.

"Well," Ribenji answered as he took a quick sip of his tea, "I had to wait a very long while until I had regained enough power to corrupt one of their protectors as our battle had drained them a good bit of their energy. That protector then corrupted the spirits he was guarding before even corrupting one of the Warrior's own champion! Unfortunately, he had failed and lost not only the champion he had corrupted, but the other spirits of the Legendary Warriors to the uncorrupted champions. However, I was able to summon forth my own champions with the power I had accumulated and had them gather parts of my world to help me regain my full power."

Ribenji had a small smile on his face as he continued, "I was able to obtain the rest of my power and my full form. I was easily able to take those little brats down, even toying with them by going into what I call my Regal Form; it was quite humorous as they couldn't even put one strand of hair out of place."

The angel then scowled as he finished, "I had underestimated them as they had managed to recreate that perverse monstrosity and forced me into my Beast of God Form."

A form of pure rage and hatred appeared on Ribenji's face as he suddenly roared out, "THOSE PATHETIC LITTLE BRATS HAD EVEN DEFEATED MY MOST POWERFUL FORM AND DESTROYED EVERY FIBER OF MY BEING LIKE IT WAS CHILD'S PLAY!"

_*krash!*_

Sasuke saw Ribenji breathing heavily after tossing the teacup into a parallel wall before the angelic being calmed his breathing.

"Forgive me, that was unnecessary of me." Ribenji said as a new teacup suddenly reformed in his hand, "Now here's the part where you come in, Uchiha-san."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow as the angel then said, "While I do appear before you in your mind, I am still trapped in a dark void of the afterlife that they had banished me too. I have given you a fraction of my power that I had recovered, but I am still too weakened to fully escape my new prison. The mark I had removed from your body would have manipulated your lust for power into seeking out a person by the name of Orochimaru. While I had removed his influence from both your mind and body, I do believe that any form of power he offers will be beneficial to both you and me. I would once again be able to walk upon the land once more while you would have the power to not only avenge your clan, but rebuild it anew!"

"Then I should go find this Orochimaru." Sasuke said with determination before Ribenji held up a hand, halting whatever action the Uchiha was about to do.

"Patience, my Champion." Ribenji said as he took a quick sip of his tea, "We will go to Orochimaru, but in due time. Going now would be a waste of both of our time and effort, so you shall wait and train for that very moment so that we can bait the fish. When that time has arrived…"

Sasuke saw the winning, devilish smirk on Ribenji's face and understood what the angel was saying.

"Now I think it's time for you to rest." Ribenji said as the tea set vanished into dark mist, "Tomorrow is a brand new day and you will need all the strength and energy you can gather for your trials up ahead."

Sasuke nodded before completely vanishing out of sight, unaware that Ribenji was still sitting playfully in the chair with a Cheshire smile on his face.

"Humans are so easy to manipulate."

**How will this play out as both Naruto and Sasuke know the origin of their powers? And will Sphinxmon's plan work?**

**Don't forget to rate and review!**

**Ja ne.**


	16. Chapter 16

**I do not own Naruto or Digimon.**

"Spirit Fusion!" normal speech

_"Spirit Fusion!"_ thought/mind speech

**"Spirit Fusion!"** demon/Inner/possession speech

Chapter 16

***Forest of Death***

The Rookies traveled through the forest with Choji and Kiba carrying Naruto while Shikamaru and Shino were carrying Sasuke as they traveled by the numerous and ominous trees.

"Think we could travel a little bit faster?" Ino asked as she looked around with slight nervousness, "We really stick out…"

"You're not the one who has to carry two unconscious colleagues!" Shikamaru slightly growled out as he was wishing that the unconscious Uchiha would wake up soon, "But we should be safe considering that Hinata, Kiba, and Shino are from clans that have abilities the are quite beneficial in preventing ambushes; They'd alert us if anything's different!"

"While I agree with Shikamaru," Shino said as he continued his sluggish pace in tandem with the Nara, "it would be better if we got to the tower as quickly as possible and see if we could get someone to look at Sasuke's and Naruto-san's seals; I'd rather much avoid an incident similar to yesterday's."

"Wait!" Hinata said as everyone stopped in their tracks while she flashed through some seals, "Byakugan!"

Veins bulged at the side of Hinata's face as she carefully looked around the area.

"You smell anything off, Akamaru?" Kiba asked as his canine partner sniffed around the area.

Hinata then drew out a kunai while the small dog growled threateningly, both causing everyone to get ready for a fight.

"Wait a minute!" a voice called out as a young man with grey hair wearing glasses stepped out from behind a tree, "It's just me and my team!"

"Kabuto?" Sakura said as she remembered the young man from before the written portion of the exam, "Thank goodness we found someone from our village! Look, we need help!"

After filling Kabuto in on what had happened, while omitting a few important details on Naruto and Sasuke, the older ninja nodded before blowing out a bird call that summoned his teammates.

"Set them on the ground." Kabuto said as Naruto and Sasuke were placed near him, "I really don't have an expert's skills when it comes to seals, but I do know enough to decipher what some seals are supposed to do and try to tweak them."

After removing the unconscious blond's shirt, Kabuto started to examine the series of seals on Naruto's body.

"My god…" Kabuto said as he tried to study the mess of seals, "I'm honestly surprised that this kid hasn't died or worse."

"What do you mean?" Kiba asked with slight concern in his voice.

"Okay, allow me to explain," Kabuto began as he began with the large swirl and writings leading out from it, "These two seals are meant to hold something powerful inside whatever, or in this case whomever, is attached to this seal. The spacing between these two seals actually allows whatever power is sealed inside of Naruto to become a part of his own power; it's recycling _that_ power as Naruto's own!"

The young man then pointed to the ten kanji seal that overlapped it and continued, "This seal here actually helps enforce the other seal's power, making it stronger. I'm not sure what it is, but I'm sensing power from each of the ten surrounding kanji; Whether or not it they do anything else has to be deciphered by the one who originally placed this seal as I've never seen one like this."

"Then there are these ones." Kabuto said as he motioned towards the five kanji that had an ominous purple glow to them, "Whoever had placed this seal had probably had the original intentions of disrupting the first seal, but this second one had taken most of the seal; The first seal is still affected, but the second seal took the brunt of this attempt. This actually causes a disruption within Naruto's body."

"Imagine a water system designed to transfer water to different houses with the main building being at the center." Kabuto then said as he carefully edged himself away from the unconscious blond, "That main building, when working properly, successfully gives not only the houses the water that they need, but also provides itself its own water. Now if something similar to these seals were to happen to that main water building, it would then continue building water within itself until the problem's fixed…or the pressure from all of that collected water causes it to explode from excess."

This caused everyone to pale at the idea of Naruto's body exploding from excess chakra building up inside of his body.

"Can you do anything?" Sakura asked as she pleadingly looked at the young man.

Kabuto let out a sigh as he said, "Like I said, while I do have some knowledge on tweaking some seals, I'm actually afraid to try anything as I'm not _that_ skill alongside the fact that if I slip up…"

"But you have to try something!" Sakura pleaded as she stole a glance towards her blond teammate, "Please!"

Before another word was said, sparks began to dance around the seals on Naruto's body, sending everyone on high alert.

"EVERYONE GET BACK!" Kabuto said as he jumped across Naruto before pulling Sasuke to the side while everyone jumped back in fear of what might happen.

***Naruto's Mindscape***

Inside Naruto's mind, AncientSphinxmon and the other Legendary Warriors stood in the middle of the large room and focused his power while the other Legendary Warriors that were not chained up watched in anticipation.

"Please let this work!" AncientSphinxmon said as his eyes flashed while using a small portion of Naruto's chakra with some of his own powers.

Using a mighty leap, the Warrior of Darkness placed a claw on AncientWisetmon's shoulder before jumping toward AncientTroiamon.

"Metal pierces Wood!" AncientSphinxmon said as he jumped from the Warrior of Steel to the Warrior of Wood before jumping towards AncientVolcamon, "Wood splits Earth!"

Jumping from the Warrior of Earth to AncientMermaimon, the Warrior of Darkness then said, "Earth absorbs Water!"

"Hope this works…" AncientKazemon said with her hands clasped together as she watched her colleague jump from the Warrior of Water to AncientGreymon, "…for Naruto's sake!"

"Water douses Fire!" AncientSphinxmon said as he then jumped from the mighty dragon towards the Legendary Warrior he started from, "And Fire melts Metal!"

After the Warrior of Darkness jumped back onto the floor, the Legendary Warriors watched as each of their chained colleagues began to glow brightly before everyone had to cover their eyes.

Once the bright flash had vanished, AncientKazemon uncovered her eyes and slowly opened them as she asked, "Did…Did it work?"

Everyone soon followed as they uncovered their eyes to see…

"This seal is more troublesome than I had anticipated…" AncientSphinxmon said as he saw that his colleagues were still chained up until he noticed something, "At least my attempt was not without its fruits."

A small groan was heard as everyone saw AncientGreymon weakly moving his body before waking up.

"What…" the Warrior of Fire asked as he was still in a daze, "What has happened? And why am I chained up along with a few of the others?"

"It is good to see that you are now conscious, AncientGreymon," AncientGarurumon said as he took a few steps forward, "but we have a serious problem which answers both of your questions."

AncientSphinxmon turned towards AncientKazemon and AncientMegatheriumon as he said, "AncientGarurumon and I shall explain everything to AncientGreymon. So in the meantime, please go check on Naruto as I am sure that he even felt that in his dream."

The two Legendary Warriors nodded before they vanished into midair while the Warrior of Darkness turned towards AncientGreymon as he said, "Now then, where shall we start…"

***Forest of Death***

Everyone hid behind what thick trees they could find and waited for what might be a powerful explosion as the wait felt like hours.

"Is…" Sakura asked aloud as she was afraid of looking towards Naruto, "Is it…over?"

Using her Byuakugan, Hinata first observed the area before observing Naruto's chakra system.

After waiting for what felt like another hour, Hinata then said, "I-I think everything is okay at the moment…"

Using the utmost caution that they could, everyone slowly crept out of their hiding spots and walked towards the still unconscious blond.

"Naruto?" Sakura asked as she edged closer to said person, "Naruto, can you hear me?"

Everyone suddenly flinched back in fear when the blond suddenly turned on his side towards the pinkette before a few soft snores could be heard from Naruto.

"Still out cold…" Shino said as he tried to remain stoic despite a small drop of sweat rolled down the side of his face, "…typical Naruto."

Kabuto looked around the area as he then said, "I think it's best if we get out of here as I'm sure that little show had to have drawn some attention; I can look at Sasuke's seal later as we need to reach the tower as soon as possible."

Not wanting to argue, Shikamaru put the shirt and jacket back on Naruto before he and Choji hoisted the blond onto their shoulders while Kabuto had his teammates carry Sasuke.

"Alright, let's go." Shikamaru said as he adjusted his hold on Naruto, "Same positions as before with Kabuto and his team in between."

Everyone nodded and began to lightly rush through the forest while not trying to draw any more attention.

***Naruto's Mindscape***

AncientGreymon stared at AncientSphinxmon after letting the information he learned digest in his mind.

"I see…" the great dragon said with a guilty sigh at what had happened, "So this new seal is interfering with both seals, with ours being affected the most."

"Yes, and aside from finding someone with the proper knowledge of removing this particular seal," AncientSphinxmon said as he noticed that the others that were sealed like AncientGreymon were either barely conscious or not even at all, "we do not have any way of removing it without damaging Naruto or the seal that bounds the Kyuubi to him."

"I can also suspect that since Naruto was also using one of the powers we granted him when this new seal was placed," the Warrior of Darkness continued as his tail slowly swayed from one side to the other, "this seal could also allow the Beast Spirits to probably take control of Naruto the moment he uses which element he chooses; This is practically a disaster set in motion if not stopped."

AncientGreymon remained in contemplative silence before letting out another sigh as he then said, "I believe this might be a good time to tell Naruto about that other part of the seal and also let him be aware that we are going to restrict his power until this new seal has been removed. However…"

The mighty dragon carefully adjust his neck as he said, "…I want to tell Naruto this myself alone; He had trusted us so much and sees us as family and to lose his trust because of this secret that might damage this bond. That is why I, alone, shall tell him."

"I shall go retrieve him." AncientSphinxmon said before he vanished into thin air while Naruto soon replaced him.

"Jiji told me that you wanted to talk to me?" Naruto asked as he looked up towards the Warrior of Fire.

"Yes, Naruto." AncientGreymon answered with a slight nod, "There are a couple things that I must tell you. First off, due to the new seal that was recently placed on you, we are going to cut you off from our power as to help prevent any more damage that has already been done."

"What!?" Naruto said in disbelieving shock, "Why!? I've been working so hard with this power!"

"I know you have as your progress is worth the well-deserved praise." AncientGreymon said with a tone of guilt, "But please know that since this seal had cause the Beast Spirit of Light to control you, we only wish to prevent an incident like this from happening; This isn't easy on us as well, but we truly do want to help you."

Naruto remained silent as memories of killing a few ninjas as KendoGarurumon and the memory of BurningGreymon taking control of him soon flashed in his mind. He wanted to keep those memories as a reminder of to not take the power of the Beast Spirits so lightly as their power were just so frighteningly awesome.

Perhaps it was better to not have The Legendary Warriors' power until this seal was taken care of.

Seeing that Naruto wasn't going to argue back at the moment, AncientGreymon then said, "There is one last thing you must know as it also involves the seal that allows you to use our power…"

Seeing the question in the blond's eyes, the mighty dragon then said, "We have placed a defense mechanism within this seal to where should anyone try to force this power from you or try to control you into using this power…it is set to release all ten Beast Spirits out a once alongside of the Kyuubi…and…"

"…it'll kill me, won't it?" Naruto asked as he then saw frightened sadness in AncientGryemon's eyes as the dragon before him sadly nodded.

"I didn't want to tell you until you had gained control of your first Beast Spirit, but recent events had said otherwise." AncientGreymon said solemnly as he wish he could not fully look at the blond before him, "But please understand that we only done this to protect you from those who would use this gift for ill desires."

Naruto was silent for a moment as he let what was revealed to him digest. He knew that The Legendary Warriors wouldn't do something like this without viable reason, but he also wished that they would have told him about this defense mechanism. Ino had already entered his mind before when Naruto was possessed by KendoGarurumon and while the Legendary Warriors' seal might not have been acting right, still…

But then Naruto got to thinking: How would he have reacted if he was told of this defense mechanism? The blond silently admitting that he can be a bit hot-headed and brash at times, but AncientGreymon had told him it was to protect him from those who would try to use his powers for their own purposes. Naruto knew that he might have made a scene and probably do something that would have hurt both him and the Legendary Warriors.

…and after they had done so much for him for so long.

The Legendary Warriors had become the family that Naruto had always wanted. AncientKazemon was always there and caring for him as if she was his own mother. AncientSphinxmon was like the Sandaime as he was willing to provide wisdom should the blond seek it while AncientWisetmon was the knowledgeable uncle that would teach Naruto what he could and even try to help the blond solve a few problems that should appear. AncientGarurumon was the distant, yet protective uncle that would be willing to scold Naruto on what he did wrong while teaching him how to be a better fighter, and AncientMermaimon was the bubbly sister that would support the blond from the sidelines with her energy alone. AncientBeetlemon and AncientMegatheriumon were like the older brothers that would protect him and provide what wisdom they could while AncientVolcamon was the cool older brother that would inspire Naruto to be great. AncientTroiamon was the one uncle that would teach Naruto about how to not let things get to him while occasionally just lending an ear to be heard. As for AncientGreymon, Naruto saw that the mighty dragon would protect, care, and love him while also working either just as hard, or even harder than Naruto would to ensure the safety and future for the smaller blond.

Naruto smiled as he looked at AncientGreymon as he said, "While I wish you guys could have told me about this defense mechanism, but I can understand that you only done it to protect me from those who would abuse this gift; You've done it out of love and that shows how our bond affects us. I can't lose this family, nor do I want to risk losing it at well as you guys have done so much for me not only to help me, but to show that you do care about me. Thank you…Tou-san."

AncientGreymon smiled as he could feel pride at how mature Naruto was about this; The dragon honestly thought the blond before him might throw a fit about them holding information about the seal from them, but this surprised him in a good way.

"You are welcome…my son." the dragon said with pride in his voice as he then said, "I do believe that we have kept you long enough, but just think of us if you ever want to talk."

Naruto nodded as he vanished before AncientGreymon as the Warrior of Fire then said, "You can come out now…AncientKazemon."

Out from the shadows, said Legendary Warrior stepped out with a guilty look on her eyes as she knew that this was supposed to be a private matter.

"I know you wanted to talk to him alone, but I couldn't just let him face whatever you might tell him alone." AncientKazemon said as she approached the dragon before her, "I…wanted to be there for him…as a mother should be."

"I do not blame you for I would have done the same," AncientGreymon said with understanding, "but there are times that we need to let Naruto walk on his own two feet and face problems on his own…even if he's already been doing so before we had met him."

"His life was already traded away the moment the Kyuubi was sealed into him." the Warrior of Wind said as she approached the stone slab that blocked their view of the Demon Fox, "I can only imagine just why the Yondaime would do such a thing while also wondering about just who Naruto's real parents were and how they could leave him like this."

"True…" AncientGreymon said as he had a few ideas of how to answer those inquiries, "but we can only guess until we learn the truth from either the Sandaime…or from another source."

"What do you mean?" AncientKazemon asked as she looked at the dragon in confusion.

"I'm sure that AncientWisetmon and AncientSphinxmon had noticed, but I sense something within the Kyuubi's seal." AncientGreymon said as the Warrior of Wind fly up towards him, "I cannot say just what it is, but somehow…I can sense a fraction of Naruto within the seal; Whether this _is_ Naruto or not, I'm sure that those presences are somewhat familiar to him…I just can't put my claw on it."

"Whatever it is," AncientKazemon said with matured curiosity on her face as she looked back towards the stone slab, "I'm sure that we can handle it."

"Seems like our son had rubbed off of you." AncientGreymon said with a chuckle in his voice, causing AncientKazemon to shrug towards him.

"What can I say?" the Warrior of Wind said with a smile behind her mask, "He's my baby boy and a mother should protect their child."

The two smiled, knowing that they would be ready to help Naruto whenever he would need them.

***Forest of Death***

The Konoha Group had managed to travel deeper into the forest as they still had to be cautious of some of the other ninja that could be waiting for them.

"We shouldn't be too far from the tower," Kiba said as he and Akamaru jumped from one of the nearby trees and landed near the group, "I could see the tower not halfway from the top of that tree."

"Still we must exercise caution," Shino said as he adjusted his glasses, "Who knows what sort of opposition we may run into on our journey."

"Engh…"

Shikamaru and Choji felt Naruto stirring as they saw the blond slowly open his eyes.

"Welcome back." Shikamaru said as he and Choji carefully let Naruto regain his balance before stepping away from him.

Naruto chuckled a bit as something donned on him before he asked, "So…you guys saw that, didn't ya?"

"Yeah," Shikamaru admitted as everyone, save for Kabuto's team and the still unconscious Sasuke, nodded, "but you can tell us later if you want to; While we do want answers, we're not going to force them from you."

Shino approached the blond as he carefully placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder and said, "We are glad that you are alright, Naruto-san."

Naruto smiled as he looked to see his friends looking at him with joy on their faces while noting the caution in their eyes. He couldn't blame them though as he was a wild beast before becoming a mighty warrior, and that they had saw a little bit of his power.

"How are you feeling?" Sakura asked as she soon approached her blond teammate, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, just a little tired." Naruto answered as he saw a familiar face, "Oh, hey…Kabuto, right?"

Kabuto nodded as he then said, "While it is nice that you remembered me, we must keep moving if we want to beat the competition…or keep them from killing us."

Before the group could move, Sasuke then began to stir awake as Kabuto's teammates carefully let go of the Uchiha to allow him to regain his balance.

"Let go of me!" Sasuke weakly growled out as he pushed himself away from Kabuto's teammates, "I don't need your help."

Sasuke then approached his two teammates and stared at Naruto, studying him.

"Where have you been?" the Uchiha asked as he continued to stare the blond down.

"I got caught up with something and I had gotten lost in this place with how thick these trees are." Naruto answered as he carefully studied Sasuke while trying to not reveal too much.

The tension in the air created by the two was too thick as even a real knife couldn't cut or even slightly mar the thickness in the air.

"Come on you two," Sakura said as she carefully got in between the two, "we're almost to the tower and we don't need the both of you to be at each other's throats; You can settle this when we get there."

Naruto and Sasuke gave each other one last stare down before turning away from each other while Sakura couldn't help but let out a sigh as while she was glad that her two teammates were up and about…she just wished that they'd at least get along.

"While it's great to see that your friends are okay," Kabuto said as he gave the area a quick look over, "but my team and I should be going if we want a chance of becoming Chunin. Ja ne."

The young man and his teammates soon vanished into the trees and leaving the large group with their now conscious, and silently quarrelling duo, along with the numerous questions that were on their minds.

"I think Kabuto's team have a good idea," Shikamaru said as he turned his attention to everyone, "but we should all stay together as with numbers such as ours, no one wouldn't just attempt to try anything if they saw what they were up against; We need to reach the tower before any other team makes it."

"But do we have our scrolls?" Naruto asked as he wasn't sure if his team had the scrolls they needed.

"You can have an extra of ours." Ino said as she tossed a scroll that Naruto's team needed, "Now let's get going!"

Sakura caught the scroll and pocketed it before she and the others headed off on their quest towards their destination.

***Tower***

The Sandaime waited inside with hidden anxiety as the Jonin of the remaining teams were also waiting for their students. But how could he relax if not only his once former student was out on the loose, but an out of control beast by the name of Naruto was out there as well.

_I don't know what's worse though…_the elderly man thought as his mind was going miles a minute at either force, _I can only pray that Orochimaru was responsible for Naruto's powers going out of control._

The Sandaime was able to let out a sigh of relief to see not only a large group of Genin walking into the area, but Naruto entering as himself and not as that KendoGarurumon beast.

"Welcome, Genin teams." the elderly man said with a smile on his face, "You are all fortunate to have made it this far in the Chunin Exams and while you have passed this part of the test, we must still wait a few days for any other teams to make it. For now, you all deserve a much needed rest."

"Hey Jiji!" Naruto said as he waved towards the elderly man, who sighed happily at the nickname as he walked towards the blond, "I have something to ask you…alone."

"Actually…" Sakura said as she felt nervous, "there's something we all want to talk to both you and Naruto about as well."

"I'm not going to waste my time with this." Sasuke said as he walked off towards a different area, hoping to find a training area that he can have to himself.

The Sandaime watched the lone Uchiha walk by and he couldn't help but sense something…dark about him.

_Perhaps I should have a few ANBU or maybe Kakashi keep an eye on Sasuke,_ the elderly man thought as he lead Naruto and Sakura, along with Teams 8 and 6, through a hallway until they had reached a room.

The Sandaime turned to face the other Genin and was about to speak when Sakura suddenly said, "We need you to look at Naruto, Hokage-sama; Something is wrong with him as he has all these weird seals on him."

"And do not worry about us revealing some of Naruto-san's secret," Shino said as he adjusted his sunglasses, "we all have agreed to keep whatever we learn a secret."

The elderly man was surprised by what was revealed to him as a new question formed in his mind: Did Naruto tell them about the Legendary Warriors…or perhaps even about the Kyuubi?

After looking at each face of the Genin before him, the Sandaime let out a guarded sigh as he motioned everyone to enter and said, "Nothing leaves this room."

Everyone entered with the elderly man closing the door behind him and placing a few quick seals on the room.

"Alright Naruto," the Sandaime said as he approached said person, I need you to remove your shirt so that I can examine the seal."

Without argument, Naruto removed both his shirt and jacket with a slight blush on his face as the seals on his body were revealed.

After a quick examination, the Sandaime then said, "I know how to remove this recent seal…but I need you to hold your arms straight up and remain absolutely still."

The blond did what was instructed as the tips of the elderly man's right hand began to glow an ominous purple like one of the seals on Naruto before he said, "I'm now going to release that nasty seal on you, Naruto, and as a small heads up…this might hurt."

Before another word was said, the Sandaime rammed his glowing hand into Naruto's stomach. The blond doubled over as soon as the elderly man removed his hand while Shino and Sakura rushed over towards the blond.

"You okay?" Sakura asked as she helped her teammate onto his feet.

"Yeah…" Naruto said as he looked down to see that the purple seal could no longer be seen, "…least that seal messing with me is gone."

"Indeed," AncientGreymon said from inside Naruto's mind, slightly startling the blond, "I and the others can no longer feel that seal's presence."

Naruto smirked in victory, unknowingly sending a message to everyone that things were going to be alright.

"Now then," the Sandaime said with a serious tone that hid his own victorious smirk, "since all of you had seen the seals on Naruto, you are probably wanting answers."

Seeing everyone nod, the Sandaime glanced over towards Naruto as he then said, "I think it is best that they hear from you first since we are talking about _your_ secret while I shall help fill in what details I can."

Naruto nodded as he then let out a sigh to relieve some tension as he then said, "You all…know about the Kyuubi…right?"

Seeing his friends nod in confirmation, Naruto then asked, "You know how the Yondaime had sacrificed himself to defeat it…right?"

There were a few hesitant nods as Sakura then spoke up, "But the Yondaime couldn't exactly defeat a being like the Kyuubi since it's _living_ chakra."

"That is correct." the Sandaime said since this was a good time to jump in, "The Yondaime had actually used a forbidden jutsu on the Kyuubi…at the cost of his life."

Everyone was silenced at the idea of using your own life to use just one jutsu. While all jutsus required chakra, which could be counted as someone's life force, but this was something that TOOK a person's LIFE which would result in killing the user.

"The Yondaime had killed himself…" Naruto said with a nervous tension on his face, "…in order to seal the Kyuubi inside…of me."

Most of the Genin had slapped looks on their faces, with the exception of Shikamaru and Shino, as they looked at the elderly man who nodded in confirmation.

"I…I don't believe it…" Kiba said with widened eyes, "…Naruto…is…is…"

Naruto closed his eyes with expected anticipation, knowing how some of the villagers would act towards him.

"… A FREAKING HERO!"

That, however, he was not expecting.

Kiba suddenly wrapped an arm around the blond with a few victorious hollers and gave Naruto a light rub on his head with his knuckles before jumping around a little bit while everyone else slowly smiled at what was happening before them.

Once he was done, Kiba looked towards Naruto and the Sandaime as he asked, "How come no one knows about our Legendary Hero? We need to catch up on some celebrations!"

"If you consider beating me up a part of those celebrations, then let's." Naruto said with a sudden dark tone that stopped Kiba's celebration dead cold while replacing everyone's faces with horrified looks.

"What…" Kiba said he couldn't believe his ears, "What are you talking about man? Why should we beat you up just for saving the village?"

"That, unfortunately, is what the villagers do not see." the Sandaime said with a regretful sigh, "When I had revealed that the Yondaime had sealed the Kyuubi inside of Naruto…the villagers had demanded for his blood so that they could finish off the Kyuubi for the Yondamie."

"WHAT!?" Kiba roared out in anger while a few shocked gasps were heard, "THAT'S TOTAL BULLSHIT! EVEN I KNOW THAT NARUTO ISN'T THE DAMNED FOX THAT'S SEALED INSIDE OF HIM; THAT'S LIKE SAYING SHINO IS A BUG! No offense 'bout that."

Shino looked at his teammate and said, "None taken as the villagers, including some of our own ninja, are too ignorant about the seal on Naruto."

"After that incident," the Sandaime then said as everyone's attention was turned towards him, "I had placed a law stating that no one could reveal this piece of information about Naruto in hopes that he would have a peaceful life…Sadly that might have made things worse. I have done everything that I can to help Naruto get the life that he deserves, but even then it wasn't much."

No one said anything as they couldn't help but feel guilty about how they had treated the blond before them; it was as if they had made kicking stray dogs that were down on their luck into a sport.

"Now that that's out of the way," Naruto said as he didn't feel comfortable about this topic, "I think I should tell them about the other seal…the seal that allows me to transform into Lobomon…and KendoGarurumon."

The elderly man nodded in agreement as Naruto looked towards everyone and said, "When Squad 7 started, I was left tied to a training post right after passing Kakashi-sensei's test."

Sakura couldn't help but shrink a little as she saw the other Genin looking at her with disappointment and slight disgust.

"From there," Naruto said as he regained everyone's attention, "a ball of light had engulfed me and next thing I knew, I was inside of my mind where I met the Legendary Warriors."

The blond was silent for a moment before he then said, "I think we should meet them in person. Just hold on to me and they'll pull us into my mind."

Shrugging in acceptance, everyone placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder and arms before darkness flashed into their eyes.

***Naruto's Mindscape***

Once the dizzying sensation was over, everyone looked around to find themselves in a dark sewer.

"EW!" Ino said as she jumped onto Choji's shoulder, "This place is a dump!"

"A life like Naruto's can do that to a person's mind." said a mysterious voice as everyone looked to see a giant cat with a human-like face and wings wearing black armor approaching them.

"Hey Jiji!" Naruto said as he approached the large cat, much to everyone's slight confusion, "How's everyone doing?"

"They are doing alright and they are waiting to meet everyone." the large cat said as he looked at everyone, "I am AncientSphinxmon, one of the Legendary Warriors that represent one of the ten elements of our world; I govern the Power of Darkness. If you would, please follow me and my grandson so that you can meet the others."

After Ino reluctantly got off of Choji, everyone followed AncientSphinxmon and Naruto through the blond's mind until they reached a large room where nine other creatures were waiting for them…one of them included a dragon with red armor and fiery wings.

"Whoa…" Kiba said in awe as he and everyone studied the other creatures before them.

"Allow me to introduce you to everyone!" Naruto said as he rushed up to the creatures, starting off with a woman with rainbow hair, "This is AncientKazemon, Warrior of Wind…"

AncientKazemon gave everyone a polite wave as everyone saw just how beautiful she was.

"AncientMermaimon, Warrior of Water…"

Said warrior gave the group a playful wave as Ino couldn't help but marvel at her sapphire-like scales.

"AncientMegatheriumon, Warrior of Ice…"

The giant ram nodded in a form of greeting the group before him.

"AncientBeetlemon, Warrior of Thunder…"

"What's up, Shino?" the giant beetle asked as he waved a claw in the air, "Nice to see you again!"

"It is nice to meet you too, Great Beetle-sama." Shino said as he bowed towards the Legendary Warrior.

Naruto chuckled a bit before he continued, "This is AncientVolcamon, Warrior of Earth…"

"Nice to meet ya!" AncientVolcamon said as he flexed his arms to show off his toughness.

"Here we have AncientWisetmon, Warrior of Steel…"

The mirror-like creature gave everyone a respectful bow as they could see the wisdom rolling off of him.

"AncientTroiamon, Warrior of Wood…"

The giant, wooden horse kneeled before everyone as they gave him a curious look over; he was somehow the oddest of the group next to AncientWisetmon.

"AncientGarurumon, Warrior of Light…"

Said warrior just gave the group a gruff nod, showing just how serious he was as Kiba and Akamaru couldn't help but be inspired by him.

"And last, but not least…" Naruto said as he stood in front of the great dragon, "AncientGreymon, Warrior of Fire and Leader of the Legendary Warriors."

"It is nice to meet you all in person," AncientGreymon said as he bowed his head towards everyone, "and we give you our gratitude for watching over our host…and my adoptive son."

Seeing everyone's surprise, AncientKazemon then said, "We've been watching over Naruto since we sealed ourselves inside of him and we've been like family ever since."

The Sandaime smiled with pride as he was quite glad that his surrogate grandson had been able to find a family through much of his hardship.

"Who would have thought Naruto could find such awesome guys like you!" Kiba said as he and Akamaru continued to observe AncientGarurumon, "This is just awesome!"

"Yeah, we are awesome like that." AncientVolcamon said as he posed in a cool fashion, causing the girls to giggle at him despite how intimidating he looked.

AncientWisetmon let out a sigh as he ignored his colleague and said, "We have also gifted Naruto with our power so that he may grow to not only be a great ninja and warrior, but a better person as well."

"We have placed some limitations on him," AncientTroiamon added as he laid down on his legs, "but even then he had made great progress with what elements we have granted him."

"But he is still not yet ready to handle the Beast Spirits of our power, as you have witnessed." AncientGarurumon said as he crossed his arms, "His mind hasn't been sharpened enough as even though he understands to not take them lightly, Naruto still isn't ready for the kind of power that a Beast Spirit possesses."

"Speaking of that power," Shikamaru said as a thought occurred to him, "Naruto can use this power at any time, right?"

"Sure he can, Sugar," AncientMermaimon said as she approached Naruto, "but we're restricting him for this part of the Chunin Exams."

"Originally it was to keep any of the Beast Spirits from trying to take control of him," AncientSphinxmon said as he was seated next to AncientGreymon, easily being dwarfed by the gigantic dragon, "but now it's more of a test to see just how well Naruto had grown."

"I believe that we have properly been introduced," AncientGreymon said as he looked at everyone, "I think that we shouldn't keep you too long as you all must make preparations for what is to come."

Everyone looked at the dragon and nodded before vanishing, leaving just the Legendary Warriors to themselves.

"So how do you think things will play out?" AncientKazemon asked as she turned towards the Warrior of Fire.

"We can only wait and see…" AncientGreymon said as he looked off into the distance, wondering himself how things will go for the blond as well.

**How will everything play out from here? What challenges await our favorite blond? Don't forget to rate and review!**

**Ja ne.**


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